RE: Idiot Box [Nov 27], Matt Bors' comic commenting on big-box employees working on holidays.
So I see that Matt Bors' comic in the back of the new Mercury tackles that sorry excuse for something to be indignant about this time of year: the fact that those oh-so-mistreated Walmart employees have to work on Thanksgiving. As if those employees didn't choose to work there. And where are all the sad songs about the plight of the gas station attendants having to work? Or the button-pushers at the TV and radio stations? Or the camera dudes [who] have to cover the games you get boners for? How about blaming all of the customers instead? Cry about slavery. Cry about people getting maimed and/or killed by inattentive drivers. But don't cry about people having to do what they voluntarily signed up for.
posted by Anonymous
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RE: "Little Boxes" [Sold Out, Nov 27], in which author Marjorie Skinner quoted the co-founder of Supportland. (Except the statement referenced in this letter was actually a quote from one of Little Boxes' founders.)
DEAR MERCURY—In Marjorie Skinner's Sold Out, I read, "If you just want a super-affordable meal, we go to Chipotle all the time," and I literally laughed out loud. I get the whole "big box vs. little guy" comparison, but the term "super-affordable meal" is reserved for a $1.29 McDouble that can be washed down by a $1 gigantic soda. Then I saw that those laughable words were uttered by one of the co-founders of Supportland. If you started a loyalty program for places that consider sale items to be a $29 throw pillow or a $209 bag, then of course you'd find Chipotle not just affordable, but SUPER affordable. Oh, and I'm not dissing Supportland. I mean I have one of their cards myself.
Erika
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RE: "Girl Trouble" [Letters, Nov 27], in which several commenters got into a squabble over author Barbara Holm's misogyny-centered column.
Shawn Fleek, you are as full of shit as Holm is. Holm gets a lot of flak not because she is a woman, but rather for the "quality" of her writing and the lack of depth to her observations. If I had to guess, I'd say maybe half of her blogs are not even about feminism anyway. "Fully embraces the class structure"?? Pretty fucking deep in the shit here, Shawn. If her blog had as many negative references to say, black gay women as she makes to straight white men, she wouldn't even have a blog in the Merc. But then again, as a comic one learns the cheap easy jokes are bodily function jokes, right? Maybe she is just taking the same approach. And while certainly "poor and uneducated" people need to understand feminism (and man do you sound condescending there), I hope for and expect a certain level of journalism in the Merc—and Holm don't cut the mustard, not with me anyway.
posted by frankieb
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RE: Spam. Soothing, sweet-talking spam.
HELLO MY DEAREST ONE—How are you doing? I think whoever says sunshine brings happiness have not danced in the rain, the best way to love is to meet people in a way that your feelings will be without sentiments, and also not getting attracted to looks until you have the heart opened to a good level of understanding, this is the only way to find such person. My name is Miss Fatima. You may want to know more about me before saying anything. Let's give this a trial, I think we may get to talk and see what that feeling is all about, who knows it could be love, but sincerely speaking I think at my age, I really want a happy life now, I want Good friend not only good, but also my best friend, I look forward for your response,
Miss Fatima
OH MISS FATIMA, you are the voice of reason on this page. While everyone else bickers, you talk of love, sunshine, and happiness! We're going with you, dear spambot that you are, for this week's letter of the week, which would entail two tickets to the Laurelhurst Theater, if only you existed. Sigh... if only.
