Car spewing hate, mud and exhaust

My family just returned from the DuPage County Fair. We had a wonderful time: eating tasty but messy food, learning about yarn and listening to the music. Unfortunately, our pleasant afternoon came to a jarring halt during heat number three of Sunday's 2 p.m. demolition derby.

What had been a high point of previous fairs for us this year became an awkward teaching opportunity as car No. 516 ambled onto the field. On its passenger roof were the words "White Pride," and on top of the car was the iron cross, symbol of Nazi Germany.

Having been a pediatrician in DuPage for close to 15 years, I know this doesn't represent our county in any way; my patients are among the most tolerant, friendly people I have ever known. My guess is even the derby racers themselves do not share these dark sentiments - no other car had offensive slogans, and most were decorated with friendly cartoon characters and pithy sayings.

But one car spewing hate, along with mud and exhaust, can make an impact in more than just a literal sense. I hope the county officials in charge of the fair rethink allowing such a discordant note to appear in the future.

Eddie Pont, MD

Elmhurst