Letters may be edited for clarity and length. E-mail to le*****@oc******.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.
THE WORD ITSELF MAKES SOME MEN UNCOMFORTABLE
Great article [Kate Carraway's “Yes, Vagina, There Is a Santa Claus,” Dec. 15]. Well-written and funny, too! Kate Carraway nailed this topic. I'm sending it to all the friendly vaginas I know!
Amber Ybanez
Via e-mail
VIVA LA MOUND
The part of the vagina monologue article I don't get is the liposuction. For me, the ultimate expression of femininity is the mound. Why would any woman, unless she is a dyke, want to reduce the size and curvature of her mound? I mean, just look at those Victoria's Secret models. Every one of them has a prominent mound. I think this bears out the idea that the moundier, the better.
Denilson
Via e-mail
CONRAD THE WISE
Please reboot your paper. You have maybe three or four good writers left: Arellano, Moxley, Schou. Ziegler's Meltzer riff on Matt McCluer was good last week. The rest is painful: a depressing and irresponsible guide to holiday drinking, a Social Distortion tribute band, a review of a Paul Frank party, a botched mess of a feature that should have been excellent about the Asian sex mystique, and the worst circle jerk of solipsistic first-person journalism ever seen. Reading the Weekly now is watching a party clique amuse themselves and each other. One friend of mine suggests that each feature should be indexed to its corresponding episode of Arrested Development. There is a Spanish phrase, verguenza ajena—which means “pain on seeing the embarrassment of others.” It's the cringe sensation, and we're feeling it for you. Improve!
Conrad Heiney
Newport Beach
Gustavo Arellano replies: There is another Spanish phrase that comes to mind, Conrad: Vete a la fregada, pinche puto pendejo baboso. Vaya con Dios!
Steve Lowery responds: Heheheh, Heiney.
Theo Douglas replies: Heheheh, Conrad.
Rebecca Schoenkopf sez: Solipsistic? Irresponsible? Depressing? Circle jerk? But what about me?
REAL MEN PLAY RUGBY . . . AND CRITIQUE FILM
J. Hoberman nailed it in the review of The Departed [“Bait and Switch,” Oct. 6]. Jack Nicholson was miscast as mob boss Frank Costello (strange choice of name, by the way—some weird homage to the onetime real Capo di tutti capi?) and Ray Winstone (politely lethal in the recent Australian western The Proposition) was 10 times scarier as his No. 2. The movie also drags on far too long. Just one thing—the cops vs. firemen “football” game wasn't. It was rugby. No pads, no helmets, no timeouts, no quarter. Real men play rugger.
J.D. Brox
Orange
THE OAXACAN CAN
I congratulate you on making this kind of journalism [Gustavo Arellano's “Oaxacan in Orange County,” Dec. 15]. I am so proud of these teachers that it suddenly changed my perspective on how they got involved in the Oaxaca conflict; not even Secretary of Education Josefina Vazquez Mota could respond in a more honest, smart and committed manner than this lady did. Conclusion: whatever our background is, we Mexicans have diversity; we are as good and valuable as our work, efforts and ideals.
Francisco Blancas
Via e-mail
SLAM THE MAN!
My best friend is a widow with five children flying out for this event [Gustavo Arellano's “A Snow Job Success,” Dec. 8]. Oddly, the only mntion I found of it was an opportunity to slam the man putting it on. I don't know Mr. Kerr or anything about him (and really could care less), but it is a shame my friend, along with many other widows, was forwarded your article, which will only taint what should be a nice weekend for them. Facing Christmas without their spouse or parent is tougher than most people can ever imagine, and if this cheers up the children who have lost their fathers and mothers, I think Mr. Kerr is completely irrelevant. Next time you want to slam somebody, try finding a more appropriate vehicle. Thank you for the positive comments; I am sure they were enjoyed.
Piper
Via e-mail
Gustavo replies: Read my article this week!
INTELLIGENT, ATTRACTIVE, AND ASIAN
As an attractive Asian American female, I can absolutely relate to Vickie Chang's experience [“Yellow Fever,” Nov. 3]. To those who bash her article, you've obviously missed the point. Her article pertains to white men who have a certain idea of an Asian woman BEFORE they even get to know the woman. And as an intelligent, attractive Asian, I find these men very repulsive. As a matter of fact, when these men approach me, I ask them if they've dated Asian girls in the past, and if they've shown a pattern of dating Asian girls, I will reject them. That's a fetish! I'm so sick of seeing unattractive white guys paired with attractive Asian women. But I don't blame the white guys for trying. It's the Asian women who don't love themselves who are solely responsible for their self-hatred. Now, for legitimate mixed couples, who actually have a relationship based on shared experiences and common interests, more power to ya.
Kris
Via e-mail
