In response to "UM roiled by racist and sexist email" (March 14), I recalled a happening in my parents' home in rural Ohio at the 1970 Easter Day dinner.
During the table talk session, my uncle used the "n-word" in conversation. My mother, a school teacher, immediately interrupted him and informed him that said word was not to be used in our household. My uncle, an uneducated man, became very upset for being chastised in front of family members. Mother defined for him the contemptuousness of the term.
It took several minutes of dialogue for him to realize the magnitude of the word. He admitted that he was unaware of the consequences of its usage. He received a memorable education that day. This event leads me to the recent commentary, "Civility seems a lost art these days," (March 13). Lynn Agress relates that "civility is sorely lacking in politics ... as well as the workplace and the schools, at all levels." Civility needs to become a taught requirement within our public educational system. Let's work to become a kinder and gentler society.
David Tabler, Baltimore