I found it ironic that on his way out the door, longtime Gazette columnist John Shreirer bemoaned that he wasn’t able to convince the “cultists” not to vote for Trump [“I’m Done,” Nov. 11]. For the past eight years or so, the writer has consistently used his monthly ink allocation to smugly write about what a bunch of idiots Trump voters are, while never failing to remind us that he’s a college professor.

The irony is that his behavior is precisely what helped to convince people to vote for Trump this time around. Telling people that they’re a bunch of racist, sexist idiots if they don’t do what you say, while constantly reminding them of how smart you are, brings about middle fingers and defiance, not compliance.

And it wasn’t just “cultists” who voted the “wrong” way this time, it was a broad coalition of demographics that delivered the first Republican popular vote victory in decades, to the tune of millions of votes, including every single swing state. It doesn’t seem people like to be scolded and insulted into submission, so apparently navel-gazing and brow-beating doesn’t work very well.

Brian Cooper

Sunderland