MORALS: MISSING
DEAR WM. STEVEN HUMPHREY—I read your article Saturday morning
[“My So-Called Hell,” I Love Television, Aug 27]. I am shocked at how
degraded your writing is. Sounds like the kind of stuff you want to
watch is at your X-rated video store. Where are your morals? I just
can’t believe you need to write like this to get your point across.
What jumps out at the reader? Let me list them for you: freaking,
monkey penis, hell, damn, Beelzebub, Satan, hell, drunky slut, horny,
dork, freaks, geeks, freaking, hell again and again? I thought I was in
a bathroom stall reading the stuff on the walls. Sounds like you’ve
been watching the BOOB TUBE way too much—you may have actually
turned into one.
-Rdweathers
THE UGLIER TRUTH
Well, that is [an] incredibly rosy take on the industry [“I Resolved
to Become a Stripper or Kill Myself,” Feature, Aug 27]. I myself danced
for 17 years and know personally many of the women mentioned, and I can
assure you that no one who strips for a decent length of time gets away
with their emotional health intact… if it was intact to begin with.
The process of being a stripper requires an amazing amount of
detachment and denial of your emotional reality. A slippery slope, you
simply turn off any feelings or intuition that could cause you to
question your chosen profession and the ironclad belief that you are a
naked goddess who by no means is degraded or exploited. You justify
your choice by railing against society, spouting feminist dogma, and
shaking your fist at the “uptight conservatives” who dare question why
you would do such a thing… all the while losing touch with your
original motivations and your sense of self. I don’t know many
strippers who are happy with themselves, and if they are, they quit.
Myself included. The truth is much uglier than dancers will have you
know. Maybe Viva [Las Vegas] gets to that later… but I doubt it. That
wouldn’t be as entertaining and empowering.
-posted by Rose on portlandmercury.com
EITHER WAY YOU DIE
What is the difference between assisted suicide and insurance
agencies [“Death Spiral,” News, Aug 27]? One helps you die, the other
lets you die. Life is priceless, but in America, only money is sacred.
Your health insurance would save a buck before saving your life.
-posted by Pink.Tuscaderro on portlandmercury.com
EXPLOITED BY EYES
I think what we’re forgetting, and what these forward-thinking
feminists have brought to our attention, is that women don’t have the
right to express themselves by exposing their bodies [“Feminists vs.
PETA,” News, Aug 27]. Women who expose their bodies in the attempt to
express a feeling or opinion, or to support or oppose a popular
convention, are actually naïve and confused. They don’t realize
they’re actually being exploited by the eyes of all who look upon them.
That’s why we should protest the organizations that use photos of these
confused women, because they are abusing their position as paternal
figures, responsible for making these kinds of decisions for women.
-posted by AlphaMonk543 on portlandmercury.com
TO YOUR HEALTH
This Erin [Fairchild] lady needs to stop looking for ways to be
offended [“Feminists vs. PETA,” News, Aug 27]. Animal abuse is much
more important than someone feeling fat because the PETA ad calling for
cruelty to end has a skinny girl on it. The stance that PETA is sexist
is so unbelievably egotistical and elitist that only a cult weirdo
would think that way. Being a chubby vegan myself I firmly believe
being overweight for either a man or woman is not healthy, screw looks!
An unhealthy lifestyle/body should never be embraced.
-posted by Crake Bailey on portlandmercury.com
CONGRATULATIONS TO CRAKE for promoting the health of mankind rather
than dwelling on death and degradation. Yee-haw. Crake wins the letter
of the week, with two tickets to the Laurelhurst Theater and lunch at
No Fish! Go Fish! where healthy bodies are embraced.
“Holy Freaking Monkey Penis, Batman!”