Opinion: Hey, politicians, be nice. If kids can do it, so can you.

To the editor: Kudos to Bonnie Tsui for talking about values vis a vis this year’s presidential election. (“Be nice, even if you’re a politician,” Opinion, Oct. 12)

Yes, values! We use to have them, and many still have the values of respect, responsibility, consideration and sensitivity. I know their prevalence among people is still possible, as for 40 years the students in my classrooms acted upon those four values.

Yes, the kids were nice to each other, and that was observed by others. Unfortunately, those observing were surprised.

We should be able to stop being surprised at nice and find it a common value among all. It might be fun to put our politicians to the test of those four values, which can also represent being nice.

Darlene Wilson, West Hills

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To the editor: Each day I am more aghast in this election season. Tsui writes about “niceness.” What word describes its total opposite? Trump?

Yes, indeed. To “trump” is already a verb, and perhaps “to Donald Trump” (or to Drumpf?) will become a way to describe an irrational, narcissistic, misogynistic, fascist, bully con man, someone who is essentially not “nice.”

This is a teaching moment for all parents concerned about raising boys (and girls) to interact with others kindly, humanely, nicely.

Joan Laine, Beverly Hills

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To the editor: Tsui’s op-ed article is a ray of sunshine and common sense. I applaud her sense of decency and belief that being polite and nice links us together with respect that allows us to work for the good of each other.

Being loud and vulgar and vilifying our fellow citizens demean the political process and tarnish the principles of our democracy. We are better than that.

Carol Karas, Camarillo

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