Hoy’s column reveals myth of ‘compassionate conservatives’

Mr. Hoy,

Regarding: “Democrats are not interested in learning from the 2016 election” (Dec. 4).

I and many others have tried to understand why so many supported Donald Trump.

I think our national differences owe to “prejudice” — and perhaps where we live.

Prejudice: “an unfavorable opinion or feeling formed beforehand or without knowledge, thought or reason.”

Consider the long-haired young man, the beer-bellied white male, the disheveled man asking for handouts, the person wearing a hoody, the woman wearing a burka.

Living and working in an ethnically diverse, urban culture, then you know firsthand what the larger world is made of: many races, many religions, many languages, many gender preferences. And you learn tolerance and the perspectives of others. You know that “mocking” a person with a disability is no joke to the person or their family. Deporting Mexican immigrants will affect your office worker’s extended family. You know that “Making America Great Again” matters little if the world is choking on coal fires or hates you because you throw your superior military weight around.

The Democrats I know never had the “schadenfreude” you experienced.

“Compassionate conservatives” never were; Republicans still aren’t.

This story was originally published December 24, 2016 at 1:26 PM with the headline "Hoy’s column reveals myth of ‘compassionate conservatives’."