Letters to the Editor
kevred
Published Letters: 92 Editor's Choice: 8
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The problem with global warming + Eminence Front
[Read the article: The paranoid withdrawal fantasy]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]In my opinion, the biggest problem with global warming is that the debate over this one issue is increasingly holding the entire world ecosystem hostage.
Whether it's really happening, and really being affected by humankind, or not, it's turning into a polarizing, all-or-nothing force that is becoming the test of admittance to caring about the environment. It's like the abortion debate, or religion--all of a sudden there's no middle ground, no cooperative effort, because you have to be one thing or the other, entirely. Pro-choicers can't admit that abortion is tragic, and pro-lifers can't allow condoms and sex ed. Christians can't admit to inconsistencies in the Bible, and atheists can't admit to the spiritual experience. It poisons everything.
Which is insane, because there are so many things related to environmental protection that we can agree on. Coal plants dumping mercury on nearby poor neighborhoods and causing cancer--it doesn't matter if you're an evangelical or an atheist, a Republican or Green, it's an issue that's real and tangible and immediately provable. Vanishing fish populations. Decline in farmable land. Every river in the country being undrinkably polluted. The list goes on and on. Real, meaningful environmental issues that we could be teaming up and addressing, politics aside.
But instead, we're fighting this one-issue battle that ties up all the other related issues. We're fighting over abstract scientific theory while the world is being poisoned in real ways all around us. Rather than a shared problem, it's now becoming an absolutist line in the sand, and everyone loses.
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As for the Who--I was quite pleased to see Paglia mention "Eminence Front" which I also think is a hugely underrated sleeper of a brilliant pop song. All restrained tension, sinister, and a wonderfully nuanced bass line from Entwistle that builds with great patience, prowling around the edges of the song while Townsend's edgy riffs spark. Then, when Entwistle starts breaking it open, his line gets busier, snarling and growling like a great cat aroused to danger. Magnificent song.
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Violating the social contract
[Read the article: Why are Bluetooth headsets so lame?]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]I think JTD hit it on the head in an earlier comment--it's not about how goofy they look (and they do look goofy--just because the ads look cool does't mean you do), it's about a more fundamental disruption of basic social expectations.
From birth, certain norms for social interaction are built in to us, and people talking seemingly randomly to no one, people who are standing right next to you but not "there", people who are talking loudly in your direction but not to you, set off alarms in us that something's wrong. It messes with our basic circuitry, and is an act of aggression against the calm foundation under our everyday actions. That creates discomfort and an instinctive hostility.
It's like passing the mentally-ill homeless guy on the street who's talking to no one and violating all the social norms. Whether you want to or not, it makes you feel uncomfortable at a deep level, and somewhat angry too. We may not like to admit it, but we feel it.
Of course there's also a status-resentment element too, but I don't think it's so much about the headset itself as just an extension of the usual stereotypical feelings--those tall, balding, suit-wearing business snobs always have to have something on us, whether it's a headset or cell phone or laptop or just a nice watch or shoes. There's plenty of cultural baggage there. The headset just ups it a notch, in a way similar to driving a Hummer, in that it invades everyone else's personal space that much more, and people simply don't like that.
What I want to know is this: do people who love and use Bluetooth devices enjoy being near other people (strangers) who are using them? If you're sitting there quietly, not calling anyone, and the person next to you is talking loudly and occasionally making you wonder if they're talking to you, do you enjoy that?
If so, that's a bit baffling to me. If not, then why is it okay for you to create that experience for other people?
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You complainers are all pathetic
[Read the article: Ellen, the dog bullies and me]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Really, you're acting as though you've been so grievously insulted and put upon for such minor things.
Animal abuse and neglect is serious, folks--just because someone who doesn't know you at all doesn't assume you're the greatest person in the world (which is what a fair number of you seem to think about yourselves) and doesn't accept everything you say at face value doesn't make them an "asshole". It makes them someone who knows what's at stake and isn't taking things lightly.
Instead of feeling personally insulted, you should grow up and recognize how the approach of animal-rescue groups reflects their love and dedication to the animals. These people have seen more atrocities than most of us ever do, and are still doing the work. You complain at one or two inconveniences and give up.
Who deserves criticism more?
Go spend a few hours on the PETA web site, and then see how much you feel like complaining. And then, when you're ready to stop feeling sorry for yourself, transfer your egotism into caring for the animals.