Letters to the Editor
slcgrad
Published Letters: 66
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Crazy?
[Read the article: A cause they've long ago forgotten]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Has Camille Paglia gone crazy? Does she just randomly write about whatever? Is she stoned? What's going on? Democratic debates, black soap-opera stars, the uslessness of high school, hair extensions, Rosie O'Donnell? Do these things have anything in common at all, or does she just crack open her laptop and write about whatever she's been thinking about for the last five minutes?
So difficult to pick my favorite dumb/pretentious thing that she wrote in this essay, but I guess I'll go with this:
"Upper-middle-class families should be ready to support their children's unorthodox choice for a career in carpentry, masonry or landscaping. We need to strip the elite aura from the claustrophobic "prestige" jobs in sterile corporate offices, where high salaries drug the worker clones from recognition of their own imprisonment and castration."
Ah yes, shine on, Camille, you crazy diamond. Watch out, upper-middle class people, because your children will all soon be carpenters... because that's what upper-middle class children do; they pass up high school and college for low-paying vocatoinal jobs. Not that there's anything wrong with being a carpenter, but, what the fuck is she talking about? ...Thank god we have people like Camille -- a professor at an arts college who writes books about poetry that other people have written -- to expose the meaningless of upper-middle class life, and expose the values of good honest work. Yes, Camille. And I'll be waiting for you to resign for Salon.com and quit your job at the College of the Arts. Come on, baby! Do you realize that your high salary is merely drugging you, and blocking your recognition of your own imprisonment and castration?
--OM
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Of course not
[Read the article: How did the T get in LGBT?]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]"...But I simply don't get how I am just as closely related to a transsexual (who is often not gay) as I am to a lesbian (who is). Is it wrong for me to simply ask why?"
Of course it's not wrong for you to ask why. Well, I mean, it wouldn't be wrong for you to ask why if we hadn't all gone batshit insane, which apparently we have.
We, as liberals, apparently love to panic and freak-out and split hairs and become unable to differentiate our real friends from our real enemies. Jesus, the poor guy spends half the article continually reasserting how much he believes in transgendered rights, and restating how it may be necessary to make a present sacrifice in order to gain a long-term political gain. But from the reactions in the comment section, you'd think that he advocated burning all "Ts" at the stake.
But that's not even my major concern.
Mr. Aravosis should be able to ask, calmly, rationally, and without vitriol, if there is a difference between being gay and being transgendered. It's an honest question, right? But of course asking this question will merely get him tackled and piled on from all sides. "Selfish," "does not give a flying fuck," "shame on you," "disgusting," "haughty, "shocking disappointing..." these are just some of the comments about Mr. Aravosis's article... from just the first two pages of comments.
Excuse me, but one of the reasons that I signed up to be a liberal was because I thought that liberalism was based on the Enlightenment and rationality and the scientific method. When did we become unable to have a simple conversation? Maybe being transsexual is exactly the same as being gay. Maybe it isn't. But being unable to respond to an honest question with anything but angry slogans and knee-jerk reactions... gee, that almost reminds me of the other political party. ...You know, the one that's not to the left.
--oliver miller
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Gosh
[Read the article: Snobbery rules]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]My god, Moira Kelly... you cook and grow you own food? Please, tell me more.
You and your BF "are quite unusual for your socio-ecomonic class"? Gosh! "What sets you apart" is your ability to grow "fabulous tomatoes and berries"? You must... um, yawn... tell me more.
How your friends, "who eat trash take-out because they can't cook" -- and who have the "total inability... to plan, shop, prepare, and cook food" -- must look forward to a night over at your house! Gosh, I can just see it now. Ms. Kelly, with her heirloom tomatoes, serving the first course, and explaining how they come from her VERY OWN GARDEN -- "You see, I and Mr. Kelly have been growing things for years" -- and, ooh, did you notice that we do all this and yet still have time to volunteer with animal rescue, political stuff, and more? And then everyone at the table commits mass suicide out of utter boredom.
I am always amazed by the ability of people to be easily impressed with themselves. Or to bore the fuck out of others with descriptions of how INCREDIBLE their own lives are.
--om
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The answer
[Read the article: Snobbery rules]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]I think the answer to this whole snobbery question, shockingly enough, is crazily simple.
If you do these things because you like them, and expect no reward -- (i.e., you don't expect kudos, or recognition about how you are superior -- viz: my enemy Moira Kelly) -- then they are their own reward. You like fancy cheese, or growing your own tomatoes? Then eat those things. And if you're really satisfied by them, then you're satified; you don't feel the need to compare yourself with others, because growing your own tomatoes, or buying fine cheeses, is what makes you happy, right? So who cares about all the rest?
Snobbery exists when you expect recognition from others for doing these things. It like trying to impress a girl with how "cool" you are. Of course, you would have been far better off if you hadn't tried to act "cool" at all. So simple.
--om
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So
[Read the article: Snobbery rules]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]So many typos in my previous comment; so lame.
--om