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My apologies for not responding sooner but I didn't know my opinion piece (On Riding Ripta) was published in the June 2018 issue of The Reporter until a few days ago. I was never informed The Reporter choose to accept it, which is why I submitted it again a few weeks ago . Be pleased to know they published it again for this past November issue.

Beth L. Silva was correct to label my opinion harmful and offensive. The purpose was to bring attention to the harmful and offensive behavior on our public buses and I hope to whoever reads my opinion that they are offended by what takes place on public transit.

I would guess the two girls on the cover of the June 2018 Reporter never read my opinion as Ms. Silva stated. I'm not insulting their intelligence, I'm sure their well read kids. But I think Ms. Silva would agree that if they read the reporter as she claims then their parents should be ashamed of themselves for leaving their children to sell cookies when they should be writing book reviews. Because of this injustice towards E.P. Youth, I look forward to starting a committee with Ms. Silva that publicly shames parents who undermine their child's intelligence. They should also have to ride RIPTA's 60 bus from Kennedy Plaza to Newport and back with no ear plugs.

Ms. Silva claims that I think women are unequal to men. This is partly true. They are unequal to men in those traditional endeavors (hunting,military,construction, etc.) that men were and are always naturally superior. Just like men are unequal and naturally inferior to women in those tasks (childcare,nursing,sewing etc.) women traditionally filled. Not to say there aren't a small percentage of men and women who could perform as good as their opposite in these jobs or even a smaller percentage that could go above and beyond. And of course I find American women's quest for equality comical. If you ever watched a female police office “butch up” by acting more assertive than most male officers than you understand.

Regarding the people I addressed in the opinion, I stay with the assertion that they are ignorant and infantile. Not that they lack knowledge or education (not in a formal sense),which they usually do, but that they are unaware of the problems they cause for other riders and the shame they bring on themselves. And doing this for an extended period of time does make them like infants, constantly needing prompting. The fact (as you stated) that they may reiceve help from people of goodwill should not dismiss their behavior.

Regarding my “standards of dress”, I believe most people would agree that exposing their underwear in public is disgraceful. They don't

Ms. Silva, your response to my opinion was overly sentimental and needlessly heroic. Like many feminists (men and women alike) you feel you need highly emotional rhetoric to get your point across.

“Less is More” William Zinsser, From his book “On Writing Well”