Reader critiques: The Post's ‘pope slot machine' was deeply offensive

Washington Post

16-05-2025

Every week, The Post runs a collection of letters of readers' grievances — pointing out grammatical mistakes, missing coverage and inconsistencies. These letters tell us what we did wrong and, occasionally, offer praise. Here, we present this week's Free for All letters.
To associate the election of a pope with pulling the lever on a slot machine is one step above crap-shooting with Christianity. 'The world's holiest wager,' read the headline on a May 8 Style article. 'Instead of betting on college sports, try your luck on the College of Cardinals,' a secondary headline suggested. Gambling on election outcomes is an age-old pastime, but promoting it in the case of this ceremony is ludicrous.
I guess the artist could have made the illustration wider and the operating lever longer, to symbolize the cardinals 'pulling the lever' again and again with each vote. Alternately, the artist could replace the miters on the reels with Bibles. Then use a small miter for the top of the lever. Keep your thumb on God.
John Hebbe, Fairfax Station
Michael Ramirez hit a new low with his May 9 editorial cartoon, 'An American pope,' depicting the newly elected pope garbed in stars and stripes.
Did Ramirez intend to celebrate with American Catholics? Does he understand how offensive his cartoon is to non-Catholic Christians struggling against Christian nationalism? Does he recognize what his cartoon signals to millions of Americans who do not happen to be Christian and who depend on the separation of church and state to protect their rights?
Clara M. Lovett, Chevy Chase
The misuse of the word 'America' seems to have spread from the White House, misnaming the Gulf of Mexico, to coverage of Pope Leo XIV. Contra the May 9 front-page headline 'First American pope is chosen,' he is not the first American pope. That honor belongs to his predecessor. Why? Because Francis was born in Argentina and was therefore South American. Hence, Leo should be identified as the first North American pope.
Jay Levy, Takoma Park
Thank you for putting the May 11 article 'Japanese American GIs are feted as 'saviors' 80 years on' on the front page. As the world is becoming more divided, it is important to remember those who have fought and sacrificed for democracy and the just treatment of all people. Through everything they endured in the United States, Japanese American soldiers gave the 442nd Regimental Combat Team the reputation as 'the most decorated unit for its size and length of combat service in the history of the U.S. military.'
America's strength is realized only when we all support one another despite our backgrounds. I believe the majority of legal immigrants come here to become model citizens and to support this country. If you don't like what America stands for, then don't come; no one is forcing you to be here. But we should remember that what makes our country strong and unified is the people. Fortunately, as shown in this little-known piece of history, in times of crisis, people step up and do the right thing to help others. I can only hope that our politicians will follow in their path: Wake up, do your jobs and start working together.
Adrian Fremont, Alexandria
The May 7 Metro obituary 'Soulful novelist had a mordant wit' memorialized a writer of remarkably poignant humor, Jane Gardam of England, who elevated my continuous amazement at how we are enriched by books. One evening some time ago, my all-male book club in Baltimore was discussing 'Old Filth' and my wife sneaked down to the landing to eavesdrop. Our conversation ended on a question about Edward Feathers, the 'Old Filth' of the title: British colonial, empire lover, lawyer, judge, betrayed husband, wit and bit of a twit, tragicomically thrashing through having lost his wife, Betty, as she gardened. Our book club's question: Did Feathers avoid intimacy, or was he incapable of it? My friends left, and my wife, Betsey, had one comment on what she'd overheard: 'I didn't think men could think like that.'
Thanks, Jane Gardam.
Stan Heuisler, Baltimore
Oh, come on! There were three men in the photo accompanying the May 7 Metro article 'NFL commissioner is working all angles to get stadium deal completed,' but you ID'd only two. That would have been bad enough on its own, but you left out the good-looking one!
Leonora Weimer, Bowie
Barbara Vuk's April 26 Free for All letter, 'Telling it like it will be,' argued that 'old age stinks' and 'someone needs to say it without sugarcoating.' Vuk highlighted something that's been bugging me for a long time, especially in those 'Good news!' newsletters: the fetishizing of older adults ('Awww! They got married! Ain't it cute?'), including the hero-making of exceptions to the rule ('Awww! This old person lifted more weight than 95 percent of adults in the world! And so can you!' Hint: No, you can't.).
Gag me. I'm with Vuk. The media highlights this stuff at the expense of the reality of how aging works for most of us, regardless of what we might do to keep healthy. It's as though the culture is so frantic about the possibility of not 'aging well,' whatever that means, that we must not only focus on the exceptional but also drive ourselves toward it.
The thud that hits everyone lucky enough to live long enough to discover that they will not perpetually feel 35, no matter what they do, too often comes as shock. And yet, that's the picture that confronts the majority.
Denise Showers, Janesville, Wisconsin
I noted the patrilineal histories of the Kentucky Derby entrants in the May 3 Sports section ['Before they Run for the Roses, get to know them']. Probably there is merit and even some quantitative data on the predictive power of such lineages. But perhaps consideration should include the mares as well. Mitochondria, the energy sources in cells, are inherited solely via the female ancestral line. A deep look at how the efficiency of their mitochondria affects the performance of horses and other athletes would yield some valuable information on the physiology of competition.
George Hoskin, Burtonsville
The May 9 Metro article 'He can't speak aloud, but his artwork says it all,' on a nonverbal local painter, was inspiring. Not only an artist but also a poet, Charles Lenny Lunn proves that sheer will, brilliance and empowerment by a devoted parent, with the help of doctors, therapists and teachers, can move mountains — in eloquent contradiction of the ignorant, defeatist comments of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Jan H. Kalicki, Alexandria
I'm wondering whether I missed an executive order declaring May 4 as OCD Sunday, because the top five tiles on my Post app were all about cleaning, or faking cleaning, or not being messy, or some such, and yet another farther down was on the same theme. Seriously? Not a word about Israel, Gaza, Ukraine, tariffs, economic news. Is this the new 'we're all about the markets' Washington Post? I consume as many Procter & Gamble products as the next guy, but this is ridiculous.
Andrew Kuhn, Bedford, New York
The May 7 front-page article 'Prison proposal gets rocky response' quoted Aaron Peskin, a former member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, as saying, 'The chances of Alcatraz becoming repurposed as a prison are about as large as landing a man on Pluto.' No doubt.
President Donald Trump said a lot of newsworthy things at his May 5 news conference besides the reiterated suggestion to reopen Alcatraz. The Post chose this one to publish front-page, center, above-the-fold, continuing to nearly three-quarters of Page A2, with coverage from two reporters and two huge photos of tourists visiting the site.
Trump's spaced-out idea deserved this much attention?
Joseph A. Capone, Oakton
Regarding the May 6 online headline 'Trump wants to reopen Alcatraz. Californians are deeply skeptical.':
Everyone should be beyond 'deeply skeptical.' The prison is a crumbling wreck that was useful more as a PR prop than as anything else and always cost tons of money to operate. No sensible person would even think to resurrect it except for show — or to distract attention from more serious things.
Gail Goldey, Santa Fe, New Mexico
Throughout history, the word 'republican' has been used to describe political systems and their advocates that radically reject kings, autocrats and tyrants. The Latin root of the word, 'res publica,' means 'the public affair,' as opposed to a private affair serving the interest of one person. By this and other measures, our 'Republicans' are no more 'republican' than King George III was an American revolutionary.
Let's call the Republican Party by its real name: the Monarchist Party.
Gerson S. Sher, Washington
It is dismaying that presumably self-described liberal readers of The Post object to any inclusion of letters defending the Trump administration ['Readers wondered why we asked for Trump voters' views. Here's why.,' May 8]. This attitude seems decidedly illiberal, and it calls to mind a decades-old quote from William F. Buckley Jr.: 'Though liberals do a great deal of talking about hearing other points of view, it sometimes shocks them to learn that there are other points of view.'
Larry Ciolorito, Darnestown
I request that The Post stop using the term 'conservative' to refer to right-wing politicians, including supporters of President Donald Trump. These politicians and their associated pundits are not demonstrating anything like conservatism, in the sense defined by Edmund Burke in the 18th century and probated in the United States by Robert Taft, Barry Goldwater and William F. Buckley Jr., nor in the nonpolitical sense of conserving traditions, heritage, resources and land.
Noting a politician's party affiliation is objective identification, but 'conservative' is a word with value associations, as are 'progressive' and 'liberal.' Such terms inadequately describe politicians' actions, tendencies, policies or interests. Readers rely on journalists to use words for what they mean rather than how they've been adopted, adapted and owned.
Howard Mandel, Chicago
I'm hooked on reading the print edition online. Available no matter where I am in the world at the moment. Razor-sharp visuals, including beautiful photography. Enlargeable with a pair of fingers. Nothing to toss in recycling afterward. But way too often, photos appear only in black and white.
On May 9, my temper finally blew when a photo caption accompanying the Metro article 'Trump names five board members' identified a woman in a group shot by noting she was the one 'in red pants' — in a black and white photo. Does not compute!
David Sproul, Bethesda
As someone who values informed citizenship and the media's role in shaping public discourse, I write to express my concern about how executive orders are often reported. It's disheartening and misleading to hear these orders presented as if they were laws. Executive orders are directives to enforce existing laws or manage the executive branch. They do not create new laws.
The Constitution clearly outlines that Congress makes laws and sets the budget (Article I), while the president's role is to 'faithfully execute' these laws (Article II). The Constitution vests all legislative powers in Congress, which includes passing laws, approving treaties and controlling government spending. Executive orders cannot override Congress, and The Post should not treat them as being able to.
Arthur Grau, New York
The 7 newsletter seems to be morphing into The 10 or The 12. The articles meander from one topic to another. Topics mentioned in the headline are getting buried.
Rather than trying to condense more than seven into The 7, consider changing the name to Today's Top 10.
Cheryl Nicolson, Hydesville, California
I don't like the use of 'congressman' instead of 'representative.' When I was a student at Powell Junior High School in D.C. years ago, we would get chastised for it. Senators are congressmen also. Usage changes but not always for the better.
Arnold Malhmood, Rockville
Regarding the May 13 news article 'White South Africans designated as refugees reach U.S.':
Please don't call the White people being brought from South Africa into the United States 'refugees.' They are not. Even mentioning the president's deceitful language diminishes the experiences of the hundreds of thousands of actual refugees around the world.
Susan Wallace, Washington
I and many of my wine-enjoying friends miss the weekly wine column that appeared in the Food section. Dave McIntyre, who left The Post in January, was and is an excellent writer, offering notes and descriptions of wines available in the area. Surely, The Post can find a replacement.
Robert Luskin, Bethesda
Presumably, The Post includes 'Prickly City' on its comics page to be inclusive of various political opinions. But the May 5 comic depicting an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent throwing one of the strip's characters into a van was deeply offensive.
The Trump administration has admitted to sending at least one person to El Salvador in error but seems to be doing everything in its power to resist bringing him home. The upshot is that anyone (not just those who are undocumented) is at risk of being sent to a maximum-security prison overseas without recourse. Please reconsider your inclusion of this strip in The Post.
Anne Schwartz, Washington
Readers often write in to say they find some cartoons in the Comics section not so very funny. May I suggest they also seek humor in other parts of Style — and other parts of the paper as well?
See this paragraph in the April 21 Style article 'Who's the woman set to change the Smithsonian?': 'Here we are: A former Fox News host is leading the Pentagon. A vaccine skeptic is running the Department of Health and Human Services. A former professional wrestling executive is head of the Department of Education.'
If that doesn't crack you up, you are either too highbrow or too lowbrow to appreciate the real-life irony being presented. Who's on fourth? The Fourth Estate, of course!
Skip Strobel, Washington