Letters to the Editor
Mr. Jones
Published Letters: 100 Editor's Choice: 10
-
Give him what he hates the most.
[Read the article: A cheating bully is ruining our racquetball games]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]One question is why the bully plays with your group in the first place? He needs to win every time? How much fun would that be for anyone who is sane? I seems clear that he is getting exactly what he craves from your group; the ability to dominate the game not only by chickenshit hinder calls, but by membership in a group where he is the best player. My suggestion is, find a player or two who is better than him, much better, and invite them to join. See that he plays against them every time, ostensibly to balance the game play. Now he's going to call hinders on nearly every play? If so, employ some good-natured ribbing. It will make his life miserable. He will hate it. Better yet, have one the ringers be a woman. I'm guessing he will really, really hate that.
-
I have a very practical reason not to get one.
[Read the article: I'm almost 21. Should I buy some guns?]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]I've had guns. I got rid of them all. Why? Because, although I had been raised in a gun rich environment, the woman I married had not. Is she going to shoot me when I come home early from a business trip thinking I'm a burglar? I had kids. Then I continuously and painfully imagined the worst case if they got their hands on the guns. So, if you're 21 and thinking you might get married and have children someday, save your money.
-
What kind of person has a lifelong dream...
[Read the article: My sister has become a monster cop!]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]...of being a cop anyway? It's a lousy job that doesn't pay particularly well, with high stress and irregular hours. I hate to ask what the benefits are because I'm afraid I already know the answer. The fact that someone actually wants to be a cop should automatically disqualify them getting the job.
-
Regarding cops as public servants.
[Read the article: My sister has become a monster cop!]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]As for the comparison of cops to social workers, teachers or nurses, I propose the following thought experiment.
Q.1: An over-zealous social worker stops you on the street and recommends dealing with your crying child in a different manner, or a teacher approaches you in the park and recommends that you read a book instead of listening to Hip-Hop on your iPod, or perhaps a nurse at an adjacent table in the restaurant recommends you not eat that 2 lbs. of ice cream covered brownie you just ordered. If your reply were "Mind your own damn business", what is the worst that might happen?
Q.2: A police officer approaches you standing on a corner and says "Move along". If your reply were "Mind your own Damn business", what is the worst that might happen?
Unlike most public servants, police are in positions of personal authority over me. I assert that it is precisely this authority that attracts certain individuals to police work. Those individuals are precisely the ones I don't want having the job. Their authority over me should be based upon more than their desire to have it.
-
All you need is another syndrome.
[Read the article: Should I invite my difficult friends to the in-laws' lake house?]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]I have to agree that the husband's Asperger syndrome seems hardly to be the real problem here. The real problem is the socially maladroit pushy friend. What you need is a new syndrome for the friend. So explain to the in-laws that you have two dear friends: one with Asperger syndrome which makes him seem withdrawn socially, and one with McGillicudy syndrome which makes her seem pushy and dominating. In actuality, however, the two are otherwise nice, caring individuals, and would the hosts consider inviting them for a few days?
-
This story seems relatively tame...
[Read the article: Sexual harassment in art school]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]...compared to other sordid tales of what happens at the University. Somehow the rigid class hierarchy of administration/tenure/non-tenure/students fosters an atmosphere rich in Machiavellian power plays. Students and professors, at the graduate level, are consenting adults. Yes, professors do hold power over their students and misuse it, but the somehow the lure of youthful potential in students also holds considerable power over some professors and students have been known to use this too. So you find the full spectrum of "questionable" behavior. Professors use their position to coerce sexual favors from students. Professors and students have affairs where the professor/student end up leaving their spouse(s) and marry one another. Students actively pursue intimate relations with professors higher in the power structure specifically to secure their weak academic position. I've stopped being surprised.
Ultimately, however, the student in this case wields the true political power with the administration, not the letter writer. This isn't a question of doing the right thing morally but simply the practical steps that must be taken if this situation is to be resolved. Oftentimes professors forget the obvious fact that students are the reason the University exists, but the administration doesn't. The administration knows where the money comes from and its rules reflect that. There are formal procedures to handle this and they are used quite often. The wheels of University justice move at a snails pace and nothing may be done visibly. But forms will be filled out, papers will be put in files, the pendulum of bureaucracy will begin its initial descent. It will be made clear that this behavior is unacceptable and will not be tolerated. The University cannot afford it.