Letters to the Editor
Alex Tucker
Published Letters: 161 Editor's Choice: 20
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Margalis, Dead On!
[Read the article: The most revealing three-minute YouTube clip ever]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Well said, Margalis! "Red Dawn" was a quintessental Reagan movie. And last time I checked, Mel Gibson's "Braveheart", "Last Temptation" and "Apocalypto" (there's a cheery title) weren't exactly Merchant-Ivory material.
As to the matter of of squelching dissent, Bill O'Reilly has certainly never shouted anyone down or cut off their microphone. Want to go to a Bush or Cheney public speaking engagement? Better be prepared to sign a 'loyalty oath' while local Republican operatives carefully cull dissenters from the herd.
Hypocrisy, thy name is Conservative.
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She's not shallow. Honest. It's just Garafaolo Syndrome.
[Read the article: I'm a princess in love with a troll]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Man, that letter's just filled with self-denial. I'd say she's suffering from Janeane Garafaolo Syndrome. She straddles the fence between seeing that gawky teen she loathed and the pretty woman she's become (and loves), but doesn't know how to cope with this new development.
She talks a good game about putting substance over style, and says thinks the Pretty Boys are empty vessels. But the truth is that ugly duckling wanted Prince Hunkenstein all along. Her inner 16-year old is still convinced she doesn't deserve Pretty Boy, so she settles for Geek Boy. And lo and behold, she winds up being dissatisfied.
Sure, she grew up admiring the Geek Boys, but brains only go so far when you actually have to be seen in public with them, right? She's the "meat is murder" vegetarian who's not really interested in the Boca Burger -- she wants prime rib. She just doesn't want anyone seeing her eat it.
Let's review all the dead giveaways, in bold:
I also think my partner is cute and charming in a hobbit-like way... a sweet and lovable creature... By all accounts I should not (and tell myself regularly that I do not) care what others think... I wholeheartedly support that -- at least I very much want to.
This woman is so intent on trying to convince herself she's not shallow, she's making herself miserable (and ultimately will make Frodo miserable as well, if she's not doing it already). End result? Not only is she shallow, she's shallow and hypocritical. Just do both of you a favor, Princess: put the froggie back in the pond and start scouring the beach for His Royal Bicep. Shallowness isn't admirable, but neither is lying to yourself about who you are.
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Wow. Missed the point ENTIRELY.
[Read the article: I'm a princess in love with a troll]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]The overall tone of the letters here are of the "Just look past the differences, dress him up nicer and you'll see your prince" variety. That's all well and good -- most men desperately need a woman's touch. But it also makes me wonder -- did any of you guys actually read her letter? The question isn't really about whether or not she can get past his looks. It's whether she wants to be with him at all. Read her words carefully, people.
"he also might come across as hunchbacked, chubby and just slightly troll-like".
"not Quasimodo by most (emphasis added) reckonings".
"I have on a few occasions not held his hand because of incidental stares".
And for those of you who keep asserting all this guy needs is a makeover, consider this:
"He doesn't dress badly and is exceedingly polite (verging on obsequious, but that's another issue)."
Good god, she can't even compliment the guy without backhanding him. At least it puts to rest the idea that dislikes his sartorial taste.
A lot of you out there are going to justify and explain that ANY of those statements the LW wrote are the words of a woman who loves this man. Congratulations. The White House is looking for Tony Snow's replacement. At every single point in this letter, she has to justify being with him because her "frankly just disgraceful" (her words) thoughts are getting in the way of the obvious: she doesn't want to be with him. Constant justifications and criticisms are bad chemistry, folks. And bad chemistry makes for bad relationships.
BTW, let's not gloss over the LW's own narcissistic issues - couching her sentences like, "while not excessively obsessed about my appearance", "(very) minor modeling", "subject of a few paintings" and - for fuck's sake! - "archetype"!?! These are not the words of a woman who is lacking in admiration of herself. By reminding us over and over that inside her beats the heart of an ugly duckling, she gains our sympathy.
If the LW is reading these letters, then you can bet she's singling out every one that justifies that her actions and thoughts. She's not trying to be a better person, she's just doing something crappy to an otherwise decent guy and wants validation. Like any narcissist, she needs us to tell her how great she is.
Don't give it to her.
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Brrrrrrr!
[Read the article: The K Chronicles]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]That one left an unpleasant chill up my spine - not only the abuse and (implied)rape references (which was bad enough), but the fact it could pretty much be applied to most every administration since the CIA was formed. Jules Feiffer would be proud of you, Keef.
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The devil can apologize
[Read the article: Matthew Dowd's not-so-miraculous conversion]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]My late father summed it up better than I ever could: "The devil can apologize til he's blue in the face for every evil thing he ever did... but he still ain't gettin' back into Heaven."
At least Lee Atwater showed genuine remorse before he died. That won't be the case with Dowd and Rove. Hell, Rove will stay alive for the next seventy years out of sheer evil, and his idea of retirement fun will involve setting homeless people on fire. When Rove finally does die, the morticians will never be able to wipe that smug, self-satisfied grin off his pasty face.
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Super-Fun-Pak Brilliance!
[Read the article: Tom the Dancing Bug]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Whenever Ruben posts a Super-Fun-Pak page It's guaranteed to make me happy. Not as happy as Dick Cheney gets when he sacrifices a goat to appease his dark masters, but happy just the same.