Letters to the Editor
Treeple
Published Letters: 300 Editor's Choice: 16
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The pre/post conception distinction is not minor
[Read the article: Hey, wait -- that's my abortion!]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Lonewolfy said (days ago, I am late to this debate):
"IF the mother chooses to keep the baby, then the man is required to share the burden of expenses, etc. in raising the child - even though he had no say in the matter."
But of course he had a say in the matter. He could have said, "Hey, I don't want children right now, so I must insist on wearing a condom."
Sure, "condoms break." Not as often as people seem to think, given how often this argument is used, but they break. In that case, I am more sympathetic to men who don't want to be drafted into fatherhood. Not sure how you'd legislate this loophole without it devolving into a debate where both parties could be motivated to lie, though.
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ridiculous headline
[Read the article: Will whites vote for Barack Obama? ]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Yeah, nothing about Obama's career so far suggests widespread appeal among men and women, blacks and whites. Look, there are people who will never vote for Obama, just as there are people who will never vote for Clinton. I bet these groups largely overlap. I bet these groups do not entirely overlap. I bet the anti-Clinton group is larger. It's going to be ugly either way, but that shouldn't obscure the fact that either could win.
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Has LW studied history?
[Read the article: I'm a brilliant scientist and I fear for the world's fate]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]I have similar WTF feelings about faith but take comfort in the cyclical, depressing sameness of history. Things might get bad for a while...and then they'll probably get better.
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AKA Smith
[Read the article: The knives come out in South Carolina]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]You insult cockroaches with your comparison.
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Obviously this is mysogynistic. Obviously this reflects badly on the group. I am already bored with them.
[Read the article: The C-word as a political tool]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]I have to agree with a previous post, I don't think cunt and n*gger are equivalent insults. And by continuing to counter every "look what they said about HER!" with "what if they said that about HIM?" (and vice versa), it effectively keeps this race about this vs. that.
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Also to do with age
[Read the article: Feminism: Five minutes ago?]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]I'm not surprised that younger women find "feminist" issues less relevant. I grew up being told (by both parents and the world at large) that I could do anything and was expected to go to college and pursue a career. It wasn't until my late twenties that I started to feel "marked" as a woman in a variety of contexts. Not that it's not possible, but it's a tricky act to go after a high-powered career with children. Or even a not so high-powered career. Some of my friends in graduate school, single mothers and otherwise, have been marginalized for having children. This isn't always deliberate--sometimes it's simply a matter of not being able to attend events that occur after school hours. Informal and outright social events are not unimportant factors in advancing one's career.
As for affirmative action for women, it depends on the career path. Mine is majority female, and so I get no favors there. I admit to having once been on the receiving end of affirmative action. I was 10 and the only girl to make my school's riflery team. I was a pretty good shot, but not as good as one of my classmates who came up to me after the team was posted, demanding to compare try-out scores. He had done better, and he was pissed. He had a right to be. Knowing this soured my enjoyment of it and I didn't stay long.
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Oh, please
[Read the article: I can't stop stealing!]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]You're worried about money? Don't you think maybe the small business owner who you're stealing from, a person you claim to respect, has ever worried about money? You're stealing from her because it's easy and because the consequences are probably less severe than if you were caught stealing out of a store. You're not stealing because your family was dysfunctional. You're stealing because you want money and you think you're entitled to more of it.
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Fuck statistics
[Read the article: I'm a high-school dropout in law school and I feel like an impostor!]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]You've already done things that are statistically unlikely. It sounds like there has always been a part of yourself speaking up and negotiating something better. Listen to that part now, and good luck.
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Hate can be a useful barometer
[Read the article: The battle of the literary endorsements]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Damn. Laura Miller drew all kinds of hate for what I thought was a light but pretty relevant statement about the cult of celebrity endorsement. I must admit, I laughed when I read the article, although I thought several of the earlier posters had good points. But of the others, isn't it interesting that people were so eager to be so vile? I guess the two celebrities in question are particularly valuable currency.
And then Salon ignores the strands of a fairly interesting debate and stars a single brief letter of support. GOD. You deserve the backlash.
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Totally with AKA Smith on this
[Read the article: Clinton "cries" again]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]In principle, if not in tone (she is better at diplomacy).
I don't hear a lot (well, any) of Clinton supporters saying they won't vote for Obama if he wins the nomination, but I sure am hearing the opposite. I heard it from a friend of mine who NO WAY IN HELL will not vote for the Democratic candidate. What was he playing at? Something about how she's a "dirty fighter." Whatever, but even if so, GOOD--the other guys sure are!
But I am worried. I'm not worried about Obama-ites having a tantrum like my friend, because I think the ones who don't actually want a McCain presidency will come around. But I AM worried about independents who are excited about Obama and actively against Clinton. There's a vocal group out there. I am going to vote for the candidate I think will be a better president (Clinton), but I am worried.
I am worried, not hopeless. I hope there's a bigger, quiet group out there who have not bought the right's line on Clinton. And for people who think that the right won't find things to dirty Obama...psst, they've already started. Anyone read "Dear Prudence" last week in Slate? There are already "informative" emails warning the public that Obama is...a Muslim! They do not care about the truth. It will get ugly, no matter the candidate. All the DIY inspirational YouTube videos won't change that.