Why the hate?

To the editor:

I was brought up in a household that did not allow the use of the word “hate.” I still wince when I hear the word, especially when it is directed toward a person. I’m OK with it if one is referring to Brussels sprouts.

I am particularly distressed when I hear my fellow citizens say they hate one candidate or another. This is the first campaign I can remember that has sparked this kind of rhetoric. How can you hate someone you have never met? Hate denotes malice. How can you have malice for someone you do not know?

Dear citizens, it is OK to disagree with political views, ideologies and policies; in fact our democratic system of government encourages it, but let us keep the hate out of it. We are better than that!

Marcia Smith,

Lawrence