A reminder to the Portland Press Herald that the language of reporting should convey fact without bias or misleading readers, as was done in the print headline of your June 8 front-page article “Moderate Collins forced into Trump balancing act.”

Sen. Susan Collins is not being forced into her position on Donald Trump by anyone – she is choosing it. In taking a “moderate” stance, she has chosen to support a candidate whose lifestyle and ideology go against the values of most Maine people, and reportedly, herself.

In psychological terms, this is called “cognitive dissonance,” which in essence is the discomfort an individual feels when they are asked to hold values or beliefs that contradict each other. Sen. Collins, like so many others in her party, is doing this well, as evidenced by their simultaneous condemnation and support of Donald Trump.

This combination also unfortunately contributes to helping to create a “bystander effect,” in which the social influence of a group, by monitoring each other’s behavior, results in a decreased sense of responsibility to make a clear intervention.

History presents evidence of what happens when this takes hold in the larger society – McCarthyism, the rise of Hitler, genocide and a general disconnect from our own true values and humanity.

We should never forget, or be misled into thinking that choice is not possible here. Sen. Collins could choose to do what is best for America as a whole. She could choose not to support Donald Trump in any way, and state unequivocally that he is unfit to represent the citizens of the United States.

In a recent interview with Time magazine regarding Mr. Trump, Sen. Collins stated, “I believe in redemption.” It was her own she was referring to, I assume.

Christine Curci

Cumberland

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