Letters to the Editor
Published Letters: 466 Editor's Choice: 25
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Lestat...
[Read the article: I Like to Watch]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]"I just always wonder at the hatred directed at people doing anything they can to achieve their dreams or how dare they go on a TV show to do art. Trained seals, really?"
Anybody who signs a "reality" show release form, be they "aspiring" dancers, singers, chefs, models, designers of all stripes, motorcycle builders, bounty hunters, rock stars, people stranded on islands, Hugh Hefner's harem, people renovating their neighbors rec room, people getting their hairstyle advice from gay man, parents with 8-18 children or 8 complete strangers picked to live in a house (and start getting "real") are worthy of any and all derision heaped upon them. Hatred? No. Comparisons to other denziens of the animal world? Hell yes! Reality TV is lowest common denominator television and most people involved, if not all, are to be viewed as lowest common denomnator people within the context of television program assesment. It's kind of the point of the column. If you want to get all meta, you could say that denigration is the point of Salon. Or did you think that last story (and the letters section) about yet another Bush Administration screw-up was rosy and positive?
"So you don't like to watch other people dance, that's fine, you prefer to just dance. Well that's fine, but why denigrate people who like to watch people dance, who love the emotion or stories that dance can convey."
Because (once) the point of Heather's Column is derision of all things cheap and taudry and greasy and oh-my-god-I-can't-beleive-she-did-that. Every other week some LW gets it into their system that just because HH professes love for a show that they also like, that must mean that said program is now off limits for scorn. But just as Heather calls us all condescending nicknames even while loving us, doesn't mean she approves. All of us have been caught up in the "drama" of a reality show only to find that when filming someone for 20 hours a day its easy to find enough material to make anyone heroes or assholes in the editing room. Or that producers influence judges. Or that, rather than a real democratic process, people are allowed more than one vote, etc. The list of ways that "reality" TV is not even close to reality are legion. And its all worthy of derison, scorn and, yes, denigration. Really.
But, no, the show you like is different. It's special! It's gonna change the world and how everyone views reality TV forever! Even convince yourself that, somehow, what people are doing on "So you think..." is art.
No. It's not. None of that will happen.
It's just that some of us already "get" that.
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Hyperbole much?
[Read the article: King Kaufman's Sports Daily]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]"In one of the most dangerous sports in the history of mankind, only 300 players are receiving disability payments?"
It's statements like this that are at the root of the current level of political distrust in this country. Anyone with a passing knowledge of the Greek, Roman or any Central American empires (to name but a few) could tell you that American Football is in no way the "most dangerous sports in the history of mankind". Not even close.
No one's saying these Ex-NFL players don't deserve our support. But political idiots do their own causes a disservice when they proclaim crap like this!
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Ghoulish forms of capital punishment..
[Read the article: King Kaufman's Sports Daily]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]..where people gathered en masse, ate snacks, and cheered for their "team". Pretty sport-like to me. Many other ghoulish forms of capital punishment didn't take place in front of huge crowds in coliseums (although I'm sure any public execution has, historically, gathered a crowd - even private exacutions attract crowds in the US).
Also, I'm pretty sure that gladiators, although nowhere near in stature to the ruling class, were pretty much viewed as "rock stars" in Roman culture (if I'm remembering my History Channel correctly). All of this is picking nits, really.
How about Jousting then? Anybody in the NFL impaled on a 11 foot wooden spike as sport? I'm sure others can think of sports much more dangerous than football.
And you're right. No one wants to defend Maxine Waters. OK, maybe Thrasher will...
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Best commentator from the '84 Draft?
[Read the article: King Kaufman's Sports Daily]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Barkley. Hands Down!
Seriously, though, I could see an arguement for Olajuwon over MJ. I wouldn't neccesarily agree, but I could see someone put together a cohesive arguement. Wes, however, would probably not be the person to do it...
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This is why I love King...
[Read the article: King Kaufman's Sports Daily]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]"The cold has a publicist and an agent and is negotiating to be on that new ABC comedy about the car-insurance cavemen. Things are rocking now but in a few years it'll be happy to get a spot on "Surreal Life: Minor Afflictions" with Winona Ryder's broken arm and George Brett's hemorrhoids."
Brilliant, my friend.
As to what the Celtics are doing: something... finally, something (which was better than what they were doing before, which was "nothing")!