Letters to the Editor
bonita bonita
Published Letters: 25 Editor's Choice: 3
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Quentin Tarantino
[Read the article: Deadly prose]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]You don't see Quentin Tarantino, Robert Rodriguez, the guys who wrote/directed SAW, SAW II and SAW III, you don't see them going on shooting rampages.
Looking at a kid's writing and saying "I shoulda known!" -- that only works retroactively. It is not a predictor of behavior. Some kids (and adults) write violent scenes to get that energy out of their systems. For some, writing is not enough. There is no way to tell. It's all a crapshoot.
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molestation
[Read the article: Deadly prose]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]I would wonder, if I were his teacher, whether or not he had been molested or abused, as his stories seem to center around revenge against such a violation.
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homeless
[Read the article: I Like to Watch]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]the homeless thing on the last episode of the apprentice bothered me, too. in today's economy, anyone can be put into that situation. it's like kicking someone when he's down -- which i guess is what makes it easy to make fun of the "marginal" members of society; it's hard to find the energy to fight back against prejudice when you're already fighting to stay warm or whatever.
at least the production was so half-ass that it wasn't at all clear that person in the next bed was supposed to be homeless. i wonder who would win in a battle: season 1's final four (kwame bill amy and nick) and this season's?
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RevMom, TRT
[Read the article: I Like to Watch]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Donald, Jr. did not say that until Sunday night's finale -- which aired AFTER the article was posted.
And to all re: TRT:
"love is statistically false"
That just about sums him up. IGNORE.
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birthright
[Read the article: Who gets to use the N word?]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]there are so many injustices that a black (or brown, meaning asian, hispanic, etc.) person is subject to -- by birth, by history's influence, and mostly, primarily, by the color of one's skin. these have been well-hashed out, so i will not do so here.
so to me, if by birth, by history's influence, by the color of one's skin, the "N word" (and other derogatory terms) are therefore off limits to a white person, so be it. there are worse things. worse things that one's skin color subjects one to.
my husband (a white man) understands this gravely. and i (a brown woman) respect him for this.
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marriage=friendship
[Read the article: Should I stay in my marriage?]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]re: a marriage "founded on a friendship [as opposed to love]... What if you can't avoid the arguments, the bickering?"
A marriage SHOULD be founded on friendship. You cannot avoid the arguments or bickering -- even the most compatible couples argue (and BICKER, which my husband and I have been known to do). What's important is how these arguments are resolved, most importantly with MINIMAL to preferably NO RESENTMENT. It's okay for children to see you fight, as long as you make up in a healthy way.
Too many people in our society believe that, once married, it is a salve to end all suffering. THIS IS UNTRUE. You will disagree, you will fight, sometimes childishly. The sexual passion will likely dissipate. What will you have left then? If you are friends first, you will have everything. Marriage is not easy. It has its joys and sorrows (more joy than sorrow if you work it right), but it takes work. A lifetime of work to make it work.
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my POV
[Read the article: Am I an alcoholic?]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]1. my live-in ex-boyfriend was a functioning alcoholic. he did not drink every day, but on the weekends he'd binge until he passed out, beer bottle still in hand.
2. my husband is a recovering drug addict. he is clean and has been for a long time.
3. i enjoy smoking marijuana, daily.
i used to drink socially, and would, at times, get REALLY drunk. this used to cause conflict, both between me and #1, and, after he became my ex, between me and... me. once you have lived with an alcoholic, it is difficult to have a clear view on your own substance use -- and whether or not you have a problem.
#2 also caused me some difficulty in seeing #3 clearly -- also complicated by my past with #1. i questioned whether i was in denial, etc.
so i did my research, talked to a therapist and an addicition expert, and came to the conclusion that i was not an addict. i don't spend my days thinking about getting home to my drug of choice. i don't binge. my routine is not disrupted. i can go days, weeks without. in essence, i have it under control. i liken it to the person who comes home and wants to unwind with one glass of beer or wine. maybe a cigarette.
so my point is, having lived with an addict, LW's perception of her actions is too clouded to come to any conclusions on her own. the guilt and shame could simply come from the guilt and shame she felt about her father's alcoholism, the fear that she might turn out like him.
she must talk to someone. she must understand why she drinks. only then can she gain perspective.
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teenage abuse victims
[Read the article: "Georgia Rule"]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]actually, abuse victims can go either way. a girl (or boy) who has been abused could become very puritanical about sex (for the reasons you stated) -- or become hypersexual (in this case, the theory is that the child begins to relate sexual attention with validation). of course, it's a continuum, but you get the idea.
just an fyi
(and on a personal note, the people that i have known who were victims of sexual abuse seemed to fall closer to the latter end of the spectrum, don't know if that's an mtv, hypersexed generational thing. but that's another topic.)
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same
[Read the article: Fondling Stephen Colbert]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]i felt the same way watching that segment. it was funny the first minute or so -- but then she wouldn't take her seat. it felt desperate to me, like she needed to perpetuate the impression that she was still sexxy hott dammit!
and yes, stephen colbert seemed uncomfortable -- truly uncomfortable -- which made me cringe for jane fonda even more...
it was mostly uncomfortable because, of all women in hollywood, jane fonda should know that it's sexier not to try so damn hard.