To the Editor:
Re “What Liberals Get Wrong About the Middle Class,” by Stephen J. Rose and Scott Winship (Opinion guest essay, June 9):
In their analysis of the American middle class, Mr. Rose and Mr. Winship state clearly that they believe that a “rising tide has lifted all boats.” Had a Democrat been president, the study the authors conducted would be lauded in Congress and the media for the success of liberal policies. Instead, senators like Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders are likely to cite the increasingly growing middle class as evidence of inequality.
Though the poor grew richer, according to the authors, their increase in wealth didn’t match the meteoric rise of the middle class. But the middle class being much better off than the moderately better off poor is more an issue of perception. Who doesn’t feel envy driving a new Toyota while a neighbor sports a BMW?
We have a long way to go to lift all poor people into the middle class, or higher. But we shouldn’t aim to do this by taking away what the middle class and the wealthy have earned, or by building resentment. We should instead give them the same options and tools that members of the middle class used to build their own wealth.
Joseph P. Petito Sarasota, Fla.
To the Editor:
Kudos for publishing this guest essay. It has been quite clear to anybody looking at the data that Americans have been climbing the economic ladder quite successfully despite liberal media stories focused on income inequality.
More and more of our friends and neighbors have upgraded their homes, purchased second or third cars (some even second homes), as well as all the toys we enjoy every day (cellphones, laptops, wireless earbuds, etc.) that either didn’t exist or weren’t affordable a few decades ago.
So maybe liberals lamenting the false “hollowing out” of the middle class should find another demographic group to worry about.
Charles H. Gessner Marblehead, Mass.
Israel’s Artists, Isolated
To the Editor:
Re “The New Isolation of the Israeli Cultural Scene,” by Sharon Waxman (Opinion guest essay, June 16):
Artists have been a beacon for social criticism and commentary throughout history. It is an irony that the Israeli artistic community finds itself quarantined from its colleagues around the world when we need creative inspiration, now more than ever.
I would encourage the world cultural community to use opportunities to engage in dialogue with Israeli colleagues rather than censor them. The process can be the product.
The Israeli film mentioned, “The Sea,” which sparked so much controversy, was one of the most sensitive and motivating films I have seen about the humanity of Palestinian and Israeli individuals in the face of the challenging divide that separates them. It was a catalyst for possibilities.
We need wisdom and creativity, not judgment, from the cultural community in our world today.
Lois Frank Atlanta
To the Editor:
Re “Why Are Anti-Zionists Boycotting This Portrait of Israeli Depravity?,” by Michelle Goldberg (column, June 13), about the inanity of leftists boycotting Nadav Lapid’s film “Yes,” which is critical of his native Israel’s policies:
This column does two things: It makes me passionately want to see the film, and it reinforces my belief that cultural boycotts of countries we may disapprove of are shortsighted and dangerous, verging on book banning.
Boycotting weapons sales is one thing, but boycotting cultural expression simply because one disapproves of an artist’s country of origin is foolish, and harmful to any cause.
Susan Jhirad Peabody, Mass.
The True America
To the Editor:
Re “Host Cities and Soccer Squads Locked in a Mutual Embrace” (front page, June 24):
Thank you for this article describing the warm welcome that cities around the country are extending to visiting World Cup athletes.
President Trump’s antics have reduced us to protesting almost daily that this is not who we are.
Your article, without ever using the words, demonstrates who and what the United States really is.
Michael P. Cuno Oro Valley, Ariz.
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