Letters

Letters may be edited for clarity and length. E-mail to letters@ocweekly.com, or send to Letters to the Editor, c/o OC Weekly, 1666 N. Main St., Ste. 500, Santa Ana, CA 92701. Or fax to (714) 550-5908.

ANY WAY YOU WANT IT
We're still receiving letters (daily!) about film critic Scott Foundas' 190-word capsule review ofJourney From the Fall, which appeared in our March 23 New Releases. Another sampling follows; the rest are posted on ocweekly.com, along with a follow-up response from Foundas.

I have read the Vietnamese news today in OC and realized that Scott Foundas had criticized the writer of this movie in a very ignorant way. Scott should respect the Vietnamese community in general. By the way, is Scott communist? Why does he think communism is good and should not be criticized by the boat people? He should be sent to the camps in Vietnam and let the Communists take "good" care of him, so he will know what it is like. He should apologize to the Vietnamese community ASAP!
John
via e-mail

Mr. Scott Foundas, how old are you? I think you are so young. What do you know about the Vietnam War? What do you know about Communists? What do you know about re-education camps? How stupid you are! Please interview any Vietnamese in California. They will let you know.
Son Ha
via e-mail

This gentleman Scott Foundas knows nothing about war and woes. How could he use [the] word "phony" for this movie? I feel sorry for his "no knowledge" comments. Poor guy. [He] should not [be] working at this job.
Don Bautista
via e-mail

The difference between The Joy Luck Club and Journey From the Fall is that Journey From the Fall reflects almost every Vietnamese American living in the America, not just a few of them. The social change is the factor of the tragedy, not just some family conflicts as in The Joy Luck Club. In some aspects, Journey From the Fall can be considered a documentary movie to Vietnamese.
T. Nguyen
via e-mail

I think Scott doesn't like the idea that Americans abandoned the South Vietnamese. Also, the scene in the movie pointing out the schoolmaster's lack of knowledge about the Vietnamese culture annoyed Scott. That's why his review is so negative.
Thuy Nguyen
via e-mail

Initially, I thought your review for Journey From the Fallwas fair, except for your labeling the events in the movie "phony." I truly believed it was a clumsy mistake in your many writings. However, after reading your response, I believe you are the type of person who loves to talk more than learn. Not only that, but you disappoint me by not acknowledging your mistake and persistently defending it with a "phony" statement: "I fear that does precious little to better our understanding of this still-resonant conflict." Even worse, you excerpt somebody else's comment on a documentary to defend your insensitive mistake! Do you really believe in what you say in your response? Or are you just try to protect your stupid a** by writing nonsense?
Huy Ngo
via e-mail

GUSTAVO™
The following letter pertains to Gustavo Arellano's May 4 story, "Almost Famoso," on the release of his new¡Ask a Mexican! book.

"The Mexican" can be witty and insightful sometimes. But his bashing of Guatemalans has to stop. I'm all for the occasional gibe, but he has shown nothing but pure hatred. His disgusting, Mexican-flavored, xenophobic humor is not funny anymore, and now with national exposure, it might turn into something less palatable— illegal or at the very least actionable. If he represents what Mexicans in Orange County, California, think about Guatemalans, I say deport those motherfuckers and limit their interactions with the more civilized.
El Gordo
via e-mail

Just heard about your column, and it sounded interesting. As an American born and raised in Florida, I have a lot of "exposure" to Latino culture, but I have never learned about it. I decided to check out your column, and it's great. I hope to find out if there is a different website, one that might have an archive of your columns.
Chris Labonte
via e-mail

Editor's note: You're in luck, Chris! All of Gustavo's columns can be found here.

HELTER SHELTER
This next letter pertains to R. Scott Moxley's April 25, 2002, "All In the Family," in which Moxley reports on former Manson family disciple/convicted murderer Susan Atkins' attempts to rejoin society—in Orange County.

I truly believe Susan Atkins deserves the right to be set free. She has been in prison far too long. She is a true testament that people can change. If God can forgive, why can't the rest of the world? She is not a danger to society in any way. I believe she is still behind bars because of how the murders have been portrayed. They seem to be more Hollywood than what really happened. She should be set free and able to enjoy the rest of her life. All her accomplishments show what an amazing person she is. Please let Susan Atkins be free.
Andrew
via e-mail

Editor's note: Susan Atkins' next hearing before the parole board is scheduled for 2009.