Nothing wrong with promoting tolerance

A recent letter decried the spread of "cancel culture" and bemoaned the loss of "one of the most patriotic accomplishments of the Trump administration" - the 1776 Commission. President Biden disbanded the 1776 Commission. And I think that was a good and patriotic thing to do.

This commission included no specialists in United States history and actual historians roundly condemned the 1776 Commission report as "filled with errors and partisan politics." Trump appointed all the commission members - who were all conservative activists, politicians or intellectuals.

In short, it appears that the 1776 Commission was simply a propaganda tool with the purpose of promoting United States successes while ignoring any history which may cast the U.S. in a negative light. This is not useful. Just as a person cannot improve without recognizing and addressing their own mistakes, a country cannot better serve its populace if past errors are not examined and addressed.

This theme of ignoring any skeletons in the closet seems to be an undercurrent carrying the wave of people now complaining about "cancel culture." Just because we (as a country) have long tolerated certain forms of discrimination and insensitivity does not mean it is correct to continue in our errant ways. Examples of horrendous racial and ethnic stereotypes being accepted or promoted in our country have been with us throughout our history. Of course, this is not an issue only for the U.S. but we need to accept what responsibility we have to form a more tolerant and functional civilization for all.

Gerry McGovern

Naperville