Letters to the Editor
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Published Letters: 41 Editor's Choice: 10
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Responsibility
[Read the article: Fantasies in black and white]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]One thing that troubles me about both this article and Kamiya's is the blurring of the many meanings of responsibility.
Did my parents make me who I am? Sure, you could say that, say that they are responsible for how I turned out. But regardless, they've got lives to lead, so the responsibility for running my life is mainly mine. And whether or not I choose to take responsibility, the outcomes are mainly mine to suffer or enjoy. We call that responsibility, too.
I think the biggest mistake, though, is seeing responsibility as something where if one person has it, another must not. Are blacks responsible for their own lives? Sure. Are whites responsible for their conscious racism? Yes, and the unconscious bits, too. Are we all responsible for building the kind of society we want to live in? Yes indeed.
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As another "stone atheist"...
[Read the article: The atheist delusion]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Contrary to an earlier "stone atheist", and as another long-time atheist, I'm glad Salon prints articles like this. This guy isn't particularly interesting philosophically, in that none of what he says is new, or even that smart. But he's very interesting socially, as a representative of a viewpoint I don't hear much of from other media.
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Just another topic for meditation
[Read the article: Why I hate partner yoga]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]First off, Catherine, let me say: yes, if you don't like it, don't feel obliged to do it. I often don't like it, and I sometimes skip partner stuff. However, you seem to have worked yourself up into a frenzy of self-justification here, and I think that's thrown your article off.
Meditation, being fully present, achieving union with your essence: these are not just things to do when locked in your room. You can practice them anywhere, in any condition. And in my view, you should. If the only time you can achieve peaceful control of your mind is in a perfectly regulated environment, that's a good start, but not a place to stop.
Yes, bodies can seem weird and icky. Yes, strangers can be scary. But barring some hygienic or safety concern, those are just things in your head. You can choose to indulge them -- as you have here -- or you can choose to accept and work those feelings, as you would any other feeling that comes up during yoga.
Yes, partner yoga can fire up the monkey mind. But learning to control that is a big part of why I go to yoga. If you feel similarly, consider treating partner work as a challenge.
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What Carr misses
[Read the article: Trapped in the grid]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]I haven't read the book, but from other things I've read from Carr, I think he misses two important things.
First, all of those people contributing content would never do all that work for their tiny, tiny share of the profits that they are generating. Most of those Web 2.0 operations are lean outfits: Wikipedia's budget, for example, is minuscule. And they will continue to be so: the barrier to entry is low, so anybody making massive money will find a host of competitors willing to undercut them, just like Craig Newmark undercut the classified ad departments of the world.
Second, people are always contributing to the culture without payment, and they will happily carry on. If I come up with a clever phrase or a new idea, I'm delighted when people pick it up. I don't hide my best ideas from the Internet: it gives me distribution beyond my wildest dreams. The explosion of blogs (many of which people pay to publish) suggests that I'm not alone.
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Ignore the jerks, press ahead
[Read the article: My big, fat, unpaid credit card bill]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]As you saw in yourself, Sarah, money and debt bring up a lot of strong emotions that come out in weird ways. I presume that's what's behind a lot of the envy, bitter words, and plain rudeness that is in some of these letters.
Sure, you're luckier than some, but that shouldn't mean you can't own up to your problems. More importantly, I'm sure that your honesty will keep a number of readers from letting their debt get out of control, and encourage others to get help.
Keep plugging away, and let us know when you get back to even.
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Pot, meet Kettle
[Read the article: Too great to be good]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]The accusation here, that Daniel Day-Lewis is too taken with himself and his artistry to do good work seems more applicable to the reviewer than the reviewed.
Having seen "There Will Be Blood" all of a day ago, you would think enough would be fresh in my mind for me to easily see Ms. Zacharek's points. But it's just the opposite: every bit of evidence offered from the film leaves me saying, "No! Not so!"
Especially telling to me is the quote selected from the "professional actor". Those foolish audiences! How dare they like what they like! Neither that actor nor Ms. Zacharek seem to consider that this might be a matter of differing tastes. Or that after a lifetime of careful study of film and acting, what works for them may no longer be what works for the other 99% of moviegoers. Or, apparently, the bulk of other students of film.
Some reviewers shared my appreciation for this performance. Some didn't. But none seemed so unable to see any other view, or left me so little room for my opinions. Perhaps Ms. Zacharek could take a spoonful of her own medicine here, and cease to strive so strongly for the appearance of greatness.
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Seriously? Is sexism such an obvious explanation?
[Read the article: Hey, Obama boys: Back off already!]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]I'm sure there are some people who dislike Hillary Clinton out of some sexism, overt or buried.
However, it seems like the more obvious explanation is that a lot of people dislike Hillary Clinton because they're tired of the Clintons. Look at how quickly Bill Clinton's poll numbers dipped once he started opening his mouth and ripping away the haze of nostalgia we'd managed to build up around him. We have heard a lot more from Hillary Clinton, and her negatives are proportionally higher.
The Clintons are both very partisan, very political people. Most of my adult life has been filled with partisan nastiness, and all of it with Clintons and Bushes. Is it any wonder that some people are excited about the chance to follow a politician that represents something different?