LETTER: Politicians, media stoke division as election nears

Growing up here in our great country, we proudly referred to it as a “melting pot.” Truthfully, racism and religious discrimination existed. But those problems were slowly disappearing due to people simply learning to get along and working toward a greater good for all.

Sadly, as the November elections approach, we see the politicians — and, more so, the mainstream media — trying to stoke those issues back to the forefront. We have politicians who claim things such as, “If you don’t vote for me, you ain’t Black.” Worse yet, we have mass media that daily talk of recent polls by demographic groups. Women vs. men. Blacks, Hispanics and those who live in urban areas vs. those in suburban or rural areas. Why this division?

Thankfully, occasionally a politician refers to the electorate as “Americans” and the media poll people most likely to vote.

We need more of that today than the latter.