When I taught American history and English in high school, I told my students that they should not say that Shakespeare is stupid or Faulkner is dumb simply because they do not enjoy their works. I tried to impress upon them that such comments revealed more about their tastes than it did about the proposed lack of brilliance of a classical author or one who had received a Nobel Prize for literature. When one resorts to name-calling rather than expressing his or her dislike of an idea or piece of work, it usually reveals the person’s ignorance.

Apparently, no one has reached Molly Ivins with this philosophy, for her columns are often full of mean-spirited name-calling that makes her sound like a playground bully. Though I am always interested in the editorial page, I often avoid her harangues, for it has not been hard to know how much she hates President Bush and anything he does. A case in point is the editorial in the Bangor Daily News on May 1 in which she calls the President simpleminded and Attorney General Ashcroft a clueless incompetent and a nincompoop. According to Ivins, some of their actions are just dumb and stupid. I would never have accepted such writing from my students, for I would have insisted that if they disagreed with an idea or an action, they would speak against the idea or action, not malign the individual.

We are striving to become a country that accepts diversity, and in doing so we must learn to respect an individual even though we disagree with the actions or ideas he or she has. Because Shakespeare’s themes are timeless and Faulkner wrote of enduring problems of the human condition, we should respect their contributions, even if we don’t find them as exciting as MTV, for example. I think a president with poll numbers hovering around the 80s should have the same respect, even though we may disagree with his policies.

Sandra Leighton

Mars Hill