Letters to the Editor
MomoCat
Published Letters: 34 Editor's Choice: 14
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Shut up and listen
[Read the article: Payback is a blast!]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Golden Boy: "The comparison between the Republican right and Muslims is ridiculous. More to the point, its pernicious. I'm a Democrat and I despise Bush, but I don't fool myself that Bush is anything more than a political opponent. Muslims pose a real danger to America and I think (deep down) you know that, you just want to score points against Republicans."
Again, for the record, Ms. Walsh did not compare the Republican right with Muslims any more than she compared Islamic extremists with conservative Christians. She compared Islamic and conservative EXTREMISTS.
If you look at the goals of both types of extremists, whether it is in regards to religion in politics, to women's rights, to civil rights for minorities considered societally marginal (whether due to religious belief, ethnicity, race, sexual preference, etc.), you will find that they are not so very far apart. They advocate the trading of secular poltics for religious-based politics, they advocate the preference of traditional women's roles over progressive roles, and they support the treatment of marginalized minorities in a manner different from what is considered acceptable and normal.
She is absolutely correct in saying that all the noise about reactions to comments, about violence and about fear-mongering is helping people avoid some very critical discussions about a clash between different religious cultures (Islamic & Christian), but also between different methods of discourse (rational & extremist). Notice that I avoid the use of the word 'versus' when describing each "opposite" - as long as we continue to allow this discourse to be ruled by simple antagonistic dialogue, rather than opening real lines of discussion, anyone looking to talk about and resolve the issues will be shouted down.
You can stand up for what you believe in, as Ms. Walsh did, without buying into the ludicrous shouting matches that pass as political discourse these days. "Muslims pose a real danger to America"!? Shame on you. Extremists pose a real danger to us all.
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Women the secret power
[Read the article: The Fix]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]WTF?
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Dressing appropriately
[Read the article: Playing doctor in inappropriate clothes]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]If I'm in a doctor's office or the hospital, I expect the staff to be dressed for their profession because it shows me (at least superficially) that they are wearing their respective professional personae. I don't want to see unshaven, casually-dressed, belly-button-baring, cleavage-showing, bare-thighed, open-toed and loose-haired folks of either sex when I'm somewhere as a patient. Why no loose hair or open-toed shoes? Because in hospitals as in restaurants, workers are expected to respect basic rules of hygiene - no long open hair, no open-toed shoes, and please wash your hands!
As for the rest of the personal fashion statements, do it on your own time, not at work. Don't like it? Go work somewhere that requires different uniforms, or none at all.
I don't find it particularly sexist to insist on appropriate garb, nor is it plausibly feminist to insist that professional female physicians should be allowed to bare their bellybuttons or cleavage from under their doctor's smocks without causing offense. The same would be true of seeing a male doctor's bellybutton or sternum region - fine if he wants to expose himself, but not while in his role as a doctor.
I had a doctor here in Europe who only wore a back-tied smock without an undershirt - lots of skin peeking out from behind. Didn't like that either. That's just more doctor than I want to see.
I think Traister's comments are confounding feminist outrage with a general breakdown in private/public persona.
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Ok, enough is enough
[Read the article: Stars will be stars]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]I have read over the past year with irritation the number of people who complain about gossip and celebrity news in Salon. I always thought, well, if you don't like it, don't read it. That said, this summary of celeb non-news as the lead article, as well as in a secondary article called The Year in Gossip, is a bit much. If I want that much non-news, I'll head for EOnline or something similar - I don't actually need another heavy dose of gossip and celeb culture masquerading as watered-down social commentary from Salon.
How about WHY this stuff is so prevalent, WHAT is going on with a mainstream media that focuses on a war between Trump and Rosie rather than real wars (or even imaginary ones, like the "war" on "terrorism")? What is the matter with our Western global culture that we give a flying rat's tootie what Tom Cruise was wearing to his third wedding rather than what Putin was wearing when he decided to off a couple of pesky journalists (one a former KGB man and fellow spook)?
These are interesting questions - But Salon, like other media, is focusing on the shadows on the wall rather than why, what and how of the figures actually casting them.
Very disappointing.