Trump didn't create American instability; he exposed it

Among the favors President Donald Trump has done for the world is to reveal what the U.S. really is. All along the view has been that we are relatively reliable, reasonable and even virtuous, while the world has failed to see the banana peel underfoot. I mean, who did? Who could have predicted the wild insanity and destructive impulses beneath this staid impression of the U.S.? I doubt that the majority of our society itself would have accepted as plausible what we've seen in recent years. The craziness of recent years could be attributed to a rogue government and not a reflection of what our country really is. That view doesn't hold up under scrutiny. The craziness has come from somewhere, and that somewhere is a substantial minority of American society. It is not a one-off aberration. Many Americans have this in their bones. The world recognizes that this could happen again. So now, thanks to President Trump, we and the world have a more realistic picture of the U.S. Of course, that doesn't change my obligation to be the best citizen I can be. James Heckman, Wayne Township, Pa.