Readers sound off on privilege, the Leap Year and Trump sneakers

Surviving the assumptions of others isn’t easy

Bronx: I just want to give my own take on what constitutes privilege. To me, it has nothing to do with money because at the end of the day, all of us, regardless of race, have to go out there and do it. The key is having to inevitably interact with others without fear, anxiety or lack of confidence.

Of course, our parents, friends and community play an important role. But the most powerful component is the society itself. Families and communities aid growing human beings in navigating the complexities of life. Our society fails miserably in this regard, simply because not all Americans are granted, at minimum, the presumption of innocence, goodness, trust, competence and respect, whether in public spaces or mainstream social and professional circles.

Unfortunately, in my opinion, treatment is determined by race and class. This has been my observation as a nearly 68-year-old homeowner, taxpayer, consumer and successful businessman. I must tell you that having to fight through so many pervasive stereotypes over the years can be exhausting. And unfortunately, some people under the same circumstances just give up. Some retreat into unproductive subcultures.

Our institutions fail to address the problem. We can’t deny that people are treated differently. I certainly will not excuse destructive behavior, but most human beings decide to retreat within themselves out of fear and rejection, never to discover their true talents. Sometimes, too much negative feedback during the formative years can do more to destroy the human spirit before our children reach the age of 18. After all, we are social animals. We want to belong. We want to be accepted. Fred Griffith

Take the leap

Washington: Leap Day comes once every four years and can be an unexpected opportunity for reflection. Looking at the world today versus four years ago, we can see that ocean temperatures have risen and continue to rise, air, water, and land pollution continue to worsen, and animal agriculture continues to be the leading cause of deforestation. This Leap Day, we can each take a moment to reflect on where we were four years ago and where we want to be four years from now. We can choose to take a leap and make a difference by simply changing how we eat. A plant-based diet is the kindest, easiest way for an individual to address climate change. This Leap Day, why not try something new? Addison K. Lantz

Like clockwork

Middle Village: This is a shout-out and note of thanks to my Daily News delivery person extraordinaire, Sergio Ortega. I am a longtime subscriber to the paper, and Sergio is the most reliable, pleasant and efficient worker. No matter the weather, including last week’s two snowstorms (one of which even prompted the city to switch to remote classes), my newspaper came on time and wrapped in plastic. That’s more than I can say for our unreliable mail and garbage pickup! A huge thank you, Sergio. Managers at the newspaper should recognize your exemplary service! Susan Maller

Lowered standards

Brooklyn: Voicer Eugene Rodriguez asks, “What has happened to the Republican Party?” What happened is that the Democratic Party got so bad that the Republicans don’t have to try as hard. Robert Perlberg

Judicious findings

Manhattan: We have morphed from Trump Derangement Syndrome to Trump Indictment Syndrome. With an attorney general stating that former President Donald Trump was guilty as a campaign promise, and the presiding judge saying the same prior to trial, is it any surprise he was found guilty even though no business entity accused him of fraud, thus convicting him of a crime with no victims? A greater crime has taken place, though. On the Jan. 6 insurrection, Special Counsel Jack Smith violated federal law in the indictment by materially changing Trump’s speech to his supporters by leaving out the words “protest peacefully and patriotically.” Lavrenty Beria, the infamous chief of Joseph Stalin’s KGB, said to tell him who Stalin wanted to convict and Beria would “find” the evidence. Sounds like modern-day America, doesn’t it? John Brindisi

Top scofflaw

Bronx: How can Trump and his MAGAs talk about our crime situation when he is the biggest and best-known lawbreaker in the U.S.? He is the worst example for our young people in the public eye today, anywhere in our country. Rose Mary Lancaster

Sole-less

Danbury, Conn.: How much you want to bet that for your $399, after two wearings of your golden Trump sneakers, the sole falls right off? Michael Eddy

Expanded testing

Melbourne, Australia: Ronald Reagan’s daughter Patti Davis suggested that it would probably be a good idea to test a future leader’s cognitive abilities, but should they be tested for far more? One of the good points about allowing almost anyone to stand for a leadership role, even the presidency, is the range of candidates, although it can be obvious that some are not only unsuitable for a legal, moral or intellectual reason and are actually dangerous. If politicians were tested, perhaps retrospectively, for intellect, cognition, any criminal history, honesty or even just niceness, how many candidates would we lose, and would George Santos have even gotten on the ballot? Perhaps there aren’t tests because there might not be enough people to fill all the jobs. Fortunately there are numerous people out of the more than 300 million who can or will eventually be able to take up the task and make everything better. Dennis Fitzgerald

Bought and paid for

Old Bridge, N.J.: Voicer David Balsam has a strange take on right and wrong. He’s criticizing Jimmy Kimmel for showing the world how ignorant, arrogant and self-serving a moron George Santos is. Santos was elected by cockeyed voters with his cheating, lying and posing. Is it Kimmel’s responsibility that Santos is so stupid that he took the bait, accepting money to make idiotic cameos? Janet Cecin

Wrong on right

Astoria: Are you guys serious? In your editorial “The right to protest” (Feb. 19), you state: “The First Amendment does not have a clause about a right to not be inconvenienced.” Wrong. Protesters’ and rioters’ rights do not supersede my right to get from point A to B unhindered. The First Amendment guarantees freedom of speech, freedom of expression and freedom of assembly. It says nothing about a right to make others late for work or unable to get through traffic while exercising those freedoms in support of whatever the cause du jour happens to be. Bradley Morris

Undeterred attacks

Princeton, N.J.: United Nations Resolution 1701 clearly states that southern Lebanon, south of the Litani River, must be demilitarized. Neither terrorist military personnel or their weapons can be located there. This has been in place for many years. Recently, however, there were 150,000 Hezbollah rockets stored there. Then the estimate dropped to 130,000. This was because 20,000 rockets were fired into civilian areas of Israel. As the result of Iranian resupply, the number is now back up to 150,000. While there are soldiers under the United Nations flag in this area to prevent Hezbollah from attacking Israel, clearly, they have not done their job. Charles Winfield

Pre-1948

Jamaica: Voicers who blame Zionists for the Arab-Jewish conflict are historically incorrect. Large-scale Jewish immigration to Palestine began in 1881. Much of the land purchased by the Zionists was desert and swamp. Their development of farms and factories resulted in an influx of Arabs from surrounding areas attracted by higher-paying jobs. Arab infant mortality plummeted and longevity increased, as the Jews drained the swamps and shared their modern medical technology with their Arab neighbors. In 1920, Haj Amin al-Husseini emerged as the Arab leader. His goal, motivated by religious hatred, was to drive Jews out of Palestine. Prominent Arabs who favored cooperation with the Jews were assassinated. He instigated anti-Jewish riots in 1920 in Jerusalem and 1921 in Jaffa. In 1929, he orchestrated the massacre of the Jewish community in Hebron. His opposition to the 1947 UN Partition Resolution precipitated the Arab wars against the Jews in Palestine and Israel, causing the Palestinian refugee problem. Ebere Osu