Letters to the Editor
lister
Published Letters: 68 Editor's Choice: 6
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Rape/murder victim
[Read the article: Should a rape victim, at age 14, be called a woman?]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Wasn't the victim also murdered? She and her family?
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holding hands... or trapping?
[Read the article: Don't tread on me]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]It's just weird how Bush is always holding his wife's hand when they are photographed. I've been married longer than he is, and we don't ever do that-- my husband assumes I can walk all by myself. It makes them look like kindergartners-- or like she would run away if he wasn't holding on.
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But.....
[Read the article: YouTube gets Googled]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Does this mean that YouTube users will have to obey copyright laws? That is, will old music videos be allowed to be uploaded without the copyright holders' permission?
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Gen X-- difficult to deal with
[Read the article: The Gen Xers are driving me crazy]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]I teach at a college, and I was driven to quit in the 90s because the students were so difficult-- angry, bitter, and resistant to education. The attitude for so many was, "Just try and teach me! I'll show you!" There were, of course, some good students-- and by this, I don't just mean the ones who were getting A's, I just mean students who were receptive and open-- but they tended to be older, returning students (baby-boomers, actually).
I tried all sorts of approaches, but pretty much nothing worked, and my colleagues had the same problem. In fact, the Usenet lists of college teachers from that period were full of puzzlement-- how DO you deal with these students?
They were, of course, the first truly post-divorce generation-- that is, many of them suffered, and I do mean suffered, from the bitter divorces of their parents. Divorce was so often a weapon back then-- it seems to be a lot easier on kids now, thank goodness. But back then, I think the young people really distrusted adults, especially those who were in supportive or authoritative positions, because they'd been let down or betrayed by one or both parents.
Now they're adults themselves, and still difficult to deal with. Not to venerate the baby boom-- we're hardly an ideal generation, if such exists. But the anger-- diffuse, undifferentiated anger-- of the Gen-X generation seems to be such a major factor. I think they got the shaft in a lot of ways, coming of age right after the huge baby boom took most of the jobs, but I am constantly struck at how angry so many are at people who are trying to help them. As a teacher, I sense this anger, and I think it's directed at "helpers" much more than "oppressors", hence the anti-union, anti-social program attitude while they embrace the CEO and marketers. Their skepticism is intense, but seems to be aimed at a paradoxically narrow population-- those who mean well. I suspect this goes back to the failure of their parents to make them feel safe.
But come on... you're grown ups now. Every generation has to deal with parental screwups. The baby-boom generation had to deal with a parental generation that was alternately authoritarian and negligent (no seatbelts back then! :). The current millennial generation has to deal with parents who are unsure and permissive. Part of growing up has to be overcoming the problems your parents instilled.
The current (Millennials?) generation has drawn me back into teaching. They are sweet, empathetic, and earnest. What they are not is decisive. They have a hard time stating and standing up for their values. This accounts, I think, for their fear-- and yeah, it's fear-- of speaking out against the war and for the social causes they secretly support. (Of course, they're saddled with coming of age during the Worst Administration Ever, which would put fear into the heart of Wonder Woman.) But they have a kindness and an openness that gives me hope. Need some backbone, maybe a bit of the sense of entitlement that the Gen-Xers have so extremely. But thank goodness for the kindness and empathy of those currently coming of age. They just might save us. :)
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Black like her
[Read the article: Dickerson on Colbert]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]This is all so dumb. I haven't the slightest doubt that Obama has experienced American racism. Not to mention his wife and children are (I assume) more traditionally African American by Dickerson's standards, or doesn't she think that matters?
Now I would NEVER say that Debra Dickerson isn't "really black". I wish she wouldn't start excluding people who the rest of the world and they themselves view as African-American, because it's downright invasive for her to say that her own opinion of who/what someone is is all that really matters. As races get more mixed, we're going to have to stop with the 1/32nd test or whatever test DD thinks is worthwhile and let people self-identify.
By her standards, I guess Colin Powell isn't black, or anyone who came to the US from anywhere other than West Africa pre-Civil War?
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One person makes less mess
[Read the article: Single slobs and domestic do-gooders]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]When you are by yourself, there is just not as much of a mess. Two people generate more trash, more shoes under the coffee table, more dishes in the sink.
I bet single women eat less too. Let's face it. Marital bliss has its advantages, but tidiness isn't one of them. I have always thought that if these Other People would just go away, my house would be much cleaner!