Dornan’s ‘Little Jew’ Remarks

I read your editorial (March 2) about Rep. Robert K. Dornan (R-Garden Grove) and have now read his reply (Letters, April 19) about his “little Jew” remarks on the House floor.

All of the Dornan rhetoric does not touch upon the main issue. The world is filled with those who think that actions are the only basis of judgment. Politicians and others cover up core feelings with deeds that are intended to camouflage the “real self.”

A good listener can learn a great deal about an individual by hearing the predicates that are used in everyday communication. The little “slips,” the sighs, facial expressions and color, are but a few of the many signals that “speak” from the inside.

The Jewish world is all too familiar with those who act in one way but really think in another. We hear about the famous “slip of the tongue” when in reality such a “slip” is really the word that counts and tells the true story of the inside person.

The concern is that an individual that hides the real self is ready to spring forth and express that true self at a time when it is “safe” to do so. At a time when the object of the real feelings will then receive the venting of the true self. We certainly appreciate all that can be done by anyone to further enhance relations between peoples but we must always be careful of the “slips” that tell another story.

RICHARD STRAUSS

Beverly Hills