6 11.14.21 Illustrations by Giacomo Gambineri
The Thread
I emigrated from Lebanon 20 years ago,
and with each returning visit a grow-
ing, irreversible rift took hold between
the place of my childhood and what
had become of Lebanese society. A
nation requires that its society be unit-
ed and rooted in a common belief that
transcends that of the individual. The
Lebanese have chosen tribalism, rally-
ing around warlords and latching onto
religious identity that has pitted citizens
against one another. The entire society
needs to free itself from the shackles and
tyranny of corruption, tribalism, religious
bigotry and prejudice.
Assaad Abboud, Bakersfi eld, Calif.
Let us not delude ourselves into think-
ing what happened in Lebanon cannot
happen in America. The patterns of soci-
etal breakdown are similar everywhere:
greed, corruption, lack of accountability
and gutting of institutions. Once a small
group controls power, it’s challenging to
dislodge them, because the next step is
to break the electoral process to main-
tain perpetual power. Ultimately, a society
RE: STURGIS
Jamie Lauren Keiles wrote about the motor-
cycle rally in South Dakota and biker culture.Riding a motorcycle, you soon learn the
Grim Reaper is your co-pilot. He might
take the form of a deer, a distracted soc-
cer mom, a bit of sand on the curve, a
moment of inattention or one bad deci-
sion. These high stakes light up every
survival instinct that comes hard-wired
in the primitive corners of your brain.
Your intense focus on staying alive and
being in the moment allows you to clear
your mind of every other trouble you
might have, if only for a while. Picking
the perfect line through a series of twisty
curves gets your endorphins going and
tending to your machine’s needs can give
you tremendous satisfaction. This is the
heart and soul of motorcycling.
John, Hunting Valley, OhioMy fi rst Sturgis Rally was in 1968. My
best bud and I were 14 years old and
had the honor of staying in Pappy Hoel’s
backyard for three nights. First time we
had been at large by ourselves. A lot
of things have changed since then. It
was before yuppies, and the crowd was
working- class people from places like
Detroit or Akron. Politics had no place,
and folks would go to the races and
cheer on their favorite make and riders.
You couldn’t buy a biker T-shirt probably
in the whole of South Dakota. I still ride
to the Rally on one of my two Harleys,
but for me, the fun has faded, as it has
just become another commercial money
pit. At least I only have to ride 18 miles.
B o b, Va l e , S. D.Send your thoughts to [email protected].‘ Yo u r i nt e n s e
focus on
staying alive
and being in the
moment allows
you to clear your
mind of every
other trouble you
might have, if
only for a while.’Readers respond to the 10.31.2021 issue.
RE: LEBANON
Rania Abouzeid wrote about how the country
was ruined by corruption.
I have visited Lebanon frequently, long
term and short term. It is not just the
leaders that are corrupt. Corruption is
endemic from top to bottom. Hospital
admissions, school admissions, offi cial
papers can only be accessed with ‘‘wasta.’’
There is no open access to services and
opportunities; even the poorest citizen
has to have pull at some level.
JJ, Germany
THE STORY, ON
TWITTER
This is an extremely
accurate look inside
what happened here
in Kenosha. Thank
you @chashomans.
@kyle_floodcollapses because of an ignorant populace
that elects and enables the corrupt.
Moksha, New YorkRE: KYLE RITTENHOUSE
Charles Homans wrote about the teenager who
shot three people in Kenosha, Wis., in 2020.I have a son around the same age as Kyle
Rittenhouse. Who knew that 20 years
after 9/11 we would have our citizens
openly discussing and ready to go to war
on their neighbors?
Deirdre, New JerseyThese men were not ‘‘equipped for war,’’
as the article states. That is the mind-set
that perpetuates this right-wing myth
that possessing an assault rifl e and 200
rounds of ammunition makes you a right-
ful defender of the nation. As anyone who
has served in the military can tell you, it is
the training, the discipline, the dedication
to others and the unit cohesiveness that
begin to equip someone for war. A bunch
of guys armed with weapons is a mob, a
gang of vigilantes, not a militia or some
paramilitary unit.
Paul, TexasThis incident, and others around the
country, share a common thread: toxic
social media. While it’s clear that epi-
sodes like this — from Charlottesville
to the Jan. 6 insurrection — are driven
by an amorphous stew of perceived
grievances, toxic social media is the
catalyst that brings together these frus-
trated actors. Unless we are able to bring
some type of governance to bear on social
media platforms like Facebook, we will
surely see more of the same.
G. Steve Jordan, New York