I really put my foot in it this time.
Two weeks ago, I responded to a letter from a woman who signed herself Doggie Comes First. Well! Never in the 48 years that I’ve been giving advice professionally has one column generated so much bitter, angry mail! And while God knows I’ve made my fair share of enemies in the past, nothing I’ve ever written has generated the kind of vitriolic condemnations that my response to Doggie Comes First seems to have inspired.
I shall reprint both for readers who may have missed the original column. I want everyone to know what all the fuss is about.
My dog is incredibly jealous. He growls menacingly at my lovers and
lately he’s been picking through my laundry basket, retrieving my underwear,
which he proceeds to destroy and/or eat. (This isn’t so funny when you’re dropping
$14 on a thong.) I don’t know what to do.
—Doggie Comes First
Despite the fact that your dog is doing you a favor when he destroys those $14
thongs (butt floss is now and forever a fashion don’t), you can solve your problem
by having your dog destroyed. It’s a drastic step, I realize, but the Godlike
power of life and death is one of the thrills of pet ownership.
Frankly, I still think my advice was sound. However, as mine would seem to be the minority opinion, I shall defer to the judgment of my outraged readers and retract my advice to Doggie Comes First. What follows is a representative sampling of the letters that shamed me into changing my mind.
I’ve read your column for a long, long time. I do not believe what you told
Doggie Comes First in last week’s column. Thongs are a fashion don’t? I can’t
even fathom what would make the thong unfashionable (other than a flabby ass).
Thongs are sexy on women, Dan!
–Thong Lover in Texas
I take offense at the term “butt floss.” My thongs do not floss my ass crack.
–Happy to Wear $14 Thongs
Damn it, Dan! What, are you TRYING to ruin the fun for us straight guys? Ass
floss makes me hot, and WHY THE FUCK DO YOU CARE, ANYWAY?!? YOU’RE GAY!!! Think
what you will about thongs as fashion, but unless you want me telling gay men
that lube is for pansies, let us straight guys have all the fun we can!
— Thongless in Seattle
My girlfriend tends to wear tight-fitting pants. She has an ass to die for.
She wears thongs to prevent her underwear from showing through her pants. Allowing
your underwear to show through your pants is, you’ll agree, a more serious “fashion
don’t” than wearing thongs.
–Butt Floss Forever
Who died and left you in charge of women’s underwear? And since when are
you concerned with “fashion don’ts”? I’ve seen you in person, Dan, and everything
you had on was a fashion don’t. In fact, you were a walking fashion disaster.
If I were you, I wouldn’t worry so much about women’s underwear and worry more
about those beat-up old tennis shoes of yours!
–Thongs Rule
Dan! Don’t tell women they shouldn’t wear thongs! You’re a gay man! Women
LISTEN to gay men! Don’t ruin everything for us straight guys!!
–I Would Slit My Wrists If It Weren’t for Thongs
Do you consider panty lines to be fashionable? It’s likely that you do not.
While there are some men who enjoy the sneak peek, visible panty lines (VPL)
have approximately the same level of eroticism as breast self-exam instructions.
There are three ways to avoid VPL:
1. Stop wearing clothes that show panty lines.
2. Go commando.
3. Wear a thong.
Public butt-flossing is not necessary, but thongs
are a comfortable and reasonable alternative to the hideous panty line.
–Beer & Thong Fan
The reason many women choose to wear “butt floss” isn’t so that our ass cheeks,
which are not usually a woman’s favorite part of her body, can hang out all
over the place. Most non-thong women’s underwear that looks decent (bikini,
French-cut, etc.) has this extremely annoying tendency to creep up into the
nether region betwixt our jiggly buttocks. So the idea is, if it’s going to
creep up there anyway, why not get some underwear that’s already tucked firmly
in place? Voilà! The thong. Most women are hooked instantly, and never
go back.
–Thong-Wearin’ Woman
Nothing is worse than peeling away a tight skirt to find a pair of saggy
undies. Perhaps in the homo-male world, thongs are a fashion don’t–unless one
is an erotic dancer, maybe–but I wouldn’t know. Trust me on this one. Please
reconsider. I am sure you will get a lot of mail on this one.
–Longs for Thongs
Well, you were right, LFT. I did get a lot of mail on this one. Apparently
there are a lot of people out there who are passionate about thongs. Interestingly
enough, one person who wrote in didn’t take issue with my disparagement
of the thong. Instead, this one person objected to another element of my response:
my suggestion that Doggie Comes First have her jealous, growling, thong-destroying
dog put down.
While I gather that your column is supposed to be of the cranky/sarcastic
variety, your suggestion that Doggie Comes First destroy her dog was over the
line. An alternative response might have been that (A) the dog may know something
about these clowns that she doesn’t, and (B) the dog could use some training
before somebody gets hurt. The ASPCA or her veterinarian are good resources
for training information, and there are lists on the Internet for advice. I
know your responses are meant for a laugh, but there are too many people out
there who take even the most obviously absurd suggestions as good advice. Millions
of pets are destroyed each year simply because they are an inconvenience to
their owners. Don’t give such people any more ideas.
And I agree with you totally about the butt floss, by the way.
Sincerely,
Mary McInerney, President, FIDO in Prospect Park (a group
dedicated to responsible pet ownership), Brooklyn, New York
Well, there you have it: Don’t throw out your thongs, ladies, and don’t kill
your dogs. Perhaps that’s what I should’ve said in the first place.
