Letters From OC Weekly Readers

'Mexicans Are Not the Only Ones Who Shout When Their Music Is Played'

FAIRLY UNBALANCED
The Voice of OC is going to have real credibility problems [Spencer Kornhaber’s “A New Page,” Oct. 23] until they demonstrate they’re willing to go after the corrupt, no matter which side of the partisan fence they’re on. I for one would take them a lot more seriously if we see them go after Larry Agran and all his corrupt cronies siphoning off millions of dollars from the Great Park. Agran is one of the most powerful Democrats in Orange County, with strong union ties. Let’s see them do a story on Agran’s corruption as the OC Weekly has. The recent audit scandal would be a good starting point. If Voice of OC is willing to go after the most corrupt Democrat in Orange County, then I’ll believe they’re sincere.

IrvinePolitico, via ocweekly.com

FLICK SLASHER
It appears [R. Scott Moxley’s Moxley Confidential, “A Nightmare On Lemon Street,” Oct. 16] the Richard Ramirezes, Ted Bundys and Teresa Rathbuns of the world unite.

Scott, Dana Point, via ocweekly.com

So the movie sent him messages and he would not have committed the crime had those messages not appeared to him? Were that the case, why, then, was he armed with a hammer and knife prior to viewing the movie? I guess his attorney would argue the “Boy Scout” defense—the fat drug abuser was just “being prepared” in case the movie or perhaps a billboard or cat crossing the street, or some handy excuse gave him a “message” to kill. The lawyer has the temerity to say she was too scared at the movie theater after this event, but that the scum should be offered sympathy because the silver screen spoke to him. Both are bums.

KPR, Mt. Hood, via ocweekly.com

HEY, AT LEAST THEY DIDN’T ATTACK YOU
I have had this happen to me [Hey, You! “Dud, Where’s My Seat?” Oct. 23] only with chicks who “wanted to be in the middle of the theater to get a good view.” They wanted the best seats and didn’t want to move because it “changed their view.” When I explained to them that on a flat surface the view doesn’t change and that this wasn’t IMAX, they said, “Well, it does change our view.” I told them, “Yeah, it changed my view about chicks who are rude and stupid to think that a one-dimensional flat screen is altered by where you sit.” The usher came over and made them move anyway so they left—and didn’t see the movie—stupid people shouldn’t be allowed in. The movie’s plot would have confused them!

John Hough, Costa Mesa, via ocweekly.com

Yup. People suck. I bet the entire movie-going experience sucked for you that day.

Chris, Los Angeles, via ocweekly.com

¡AY, CARAMBA!
Mexicans are not the only ones who shout when their music is played [Gustavo Arellano’s ¡Ask a Mexican! Oct. 23]. Spanish gypsies and payos alike shout “chiqillo,” “olé,” “assa,” and “guapa” at flamenco performances.

Chris, Torrance, via ocweekly.com

¿A la ronca, te refieres al guaco? Or did I misspell it? I couldn’t find guaco anywhere. Have we been using a palabra that doesn’t even exist? Oh, and I love your columna!

Mexicanita, Colima, Mexico, via ocweekly.com

The teacher noticing Latinas playing dumb would probably benefit from reading some of Erving Goffman’s works. Although a bit dated, I think his ideas apply. Goffman was concerned most with the way humans interact based on performance. One crucial role women played, with respect to their relationship with boys, was being (acting) dumb. Acting as if “you don’t get it” in order to fall into the proper, lesser-of-sexes role. There’s a good bit of this in “mean girls.” However, I’ve found that mexicanas do way better in school than the boys. When I was at UCLA, I found that they were always the first in class, always in the front row, and always at office hours trying to learn every part of the material. And more often than their pendejo counterparts (mexicano students, like me), they were at the top of the class with the highest marks and graduating with honors. But that’s just in my experience at one of the most competitive schools in the world.

Aztlan, Sun Valley, via ocweekly.com

CORRECTIONS
In the Oct. 23 cover story, “A New Page,” the last name of Voice of San Diego editor Andrew Donohue was misspelled.

Also in the Oct. 23 issue, in the story “Energy Conversion,” the band Stedapol C.C. Watt was named after a friend of the band, not suggested by a friend as the story stated.