The hypocrisy in Priscilla Cup's overblown, self-righteous little essay (How Does Hatred Begin?) (Nov. 9) made me laugh out loud. In it, she stresses the need for "open communication" and "discussion of alternate cultures, religions, and political views."

However, I don't see Priscilla doing much communicating or discussing. Did she ever ask Ruth's parents for discussion or clarification about a second-hand remark passed along by - excuse me - a five-year-old? Does she realize, as any sane person who has spent more than 10 minutes around children would, that five-year-olds don't always get the facts right and that it might be best to get information from everyone involved before making conclusions? Apparently not. Instead of actually talking to a couple of people she's professed to be friends with and getting their side of the story, she's chosen to whimper on and on about her perceived slight in the West Seattle Herald.

I take serious issue with her statement that Ruth's family's religion is "an important part of the circle." It isn't. In fact, in this context, pointing out the detail that Ruth is Jewish undermines Priscilla's own argument. If Priscilla would take the time to think about what she's writing, she might realize that the fact that Ruth's family is Jewish has absolutely nothing to do with the specific case she's talking about.

The incident Priscilla is complaining about is a political difference, not a religious one. So why does she happen to mention Ruth's religion? As far as I could tell from reading the essay carefully, the only reasons Priscilla brought it up were for self-aggrandizement (look at how good I am for telling children to accept people with different beliefs!) and for the opportunity it provided her to get in a subtle dig at some Jewish people. Next time Ms. Cup feels like taking the moral high ground, she might want to be more careful about letting her prejudices show.

I think the biggest laugh is that the Herald chose to print this poorly written, passive-aggressive essay in the first place. Hey editors, the next time my kid doesn't get invited to a birthday party, can I use a lot of jingoistic, melodramatic language to whine about it, and get 24 column inches in your paper too?

Catherine Chase

Admiral