To the editor:

Do you believe that your race is best? That your religion is the only true religion? That your culture is the best? Surprise! Everybody on the planet believes the same. And you are now ready to argue with me about the above statement. We all have unique opinions and when they are stated, they are universally met with a “yes, but.” When we compromise, all of the compromisers fall short of getting everything they hoped for. Democracy is the agreement that nobody will use violence to give themselves an uncompromised win.

The Milgram experiments at Yale in the 1960s showed that humans do not need persuasion to turn violent. They only need permission. Many of our leaders have been giving that permission to people richly prepared to hear it. If you believe that your friends and neighbors stole this election from you, shame on you. If you believe that there is some part of our government that is not composed of your friends and neighbors, shame on you.

Steve Mason,

Lawrence