The correspondence about the meaning of “woke” illustrates the cognitive bias of failing to see ourselves as others see us, and vice versa (Letters, 22 February). A quick scan through other newspapers indicates to me that woke means self-righteous, puritanical, bossy and intolerant.
Paul Whitby
Market Lavington, Wiltshire
• Jenny Welsh describes her alphabetical list of countries to recite as she falls asleep (Letters, 22 February) as “Azerbaijan to Zambia”. I reckon she’s 11 short, mainly at the front end, but if she began using it before 1980, Zimbabwe would not have been around yet.
Fergus Nicoll
Llanrhaeadr-ym-Mochnant, Powys
• In response to Varrie Blowers (Letters, 17 February), our present monarch is thankfully not descended from Charles II, who had no legitimate children. Her Stuart ancestor through the Hanoverian line is his grandfather James I. I know I should get out more.
George Howson
Lancaster
• I’m with Valerie Gidlow (Letters, 20 February). Now 80, I well remember, as a schoolgirl, bopping to Bill Haley and His Comets at the Grand Theatre, Swansea. How my hard-up parents afforded the ticket for me I’ll never know.
Julia Phillips
Combe Down, Somerset
• All this talk of shoes only to be worn outdoors (Letters, 21 February) reminds me fondly of the late Guardian columnist Michele Hanson plodding to the corner in her slippers to post a letter.
David Hamer
Sheffield
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