Letters to the Editor
ms. anthrope
Published Letters: 3 Editor's Choice: 3
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Not all secrets can be kept
[Read the article: I'm married with kids -- and in love with a prostitute]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]As an addendum to Cary's peerlessly wise advice, I'd also suggest that Lost in L.A. immediately get himself an HIV test, and if it is negative, get another one in 4 to 6 months to be sure. Even the proverbial prostitute-with-a-heart-of-gold can get an STD and pass it to her johns. Moreover, if the test should come back positive, the honorable suggestion of keeping secrets and questing for a respectable life will go down the tubes. Perhaps Lost in L.A. doesn't realize that he's putting himself and his wife at risk for more than just emotional devastation. Condoms are not 100% effective at prevention.
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Sailing down the banal canal
[Read the article: Hipster rebel punk outsiders -- 99 cents a dozen]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Something tells me that in the 90s, Niedzviecki was a big fan of the journal The Baffler, and used most of his carefully saved back issues as fodder for this book. The Baffler also published a collection of its essays in the 1997 book, Commodify Your Dissent, which, gee, happens to address just about all of Niedzviecki's supposedly eye-opening observations. I daresay that criticism of comsumer culture, et al. wasn't quite a revelation in the mid-90s, either. Interesting to some, perhaps, but seriously...this news is about as fresh as a week-old baguette that can double as a bat to whap Niedzviecki on the head with. Either tell us something new or get with the program, sheesh.
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Beyond the Brainless
[Read the article: Taking back "Slut-o-ween"]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]I too am irritated by Slutoween. What bothers me about it (beyond the obviously offensive sex object thing) is the complete lack of creativity. Sure, not everyone has time or inclination to come up with costume-contest winners, but doing something a little more original isn't hard. What about all those other, non-slutty fictional characters? Or how about just dressing in a way that's unexpected and funny? Why must it always be the painfully uninspired "Look at me! I'm a sexy (cat/bunny/clown/witch/maid/etc)!"? Ho'-hum, I say. My way of countering the female sluttitude this year will be by dressing in drag as an 80s hair-metal guy...indeed, a bona fide male slut!
Oh, and by the way, I'm not some shapeless, bitter feminist...I love dressing in skirts, heels, and pretty underwear, but I can do that any time. Halloween is fun because it allows us the opportunity to do something creative. What ever happened to using your imagination?