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 BOOK OF RIGHT-ON
These next two letters address Gustavo Arellano's May 3 “Almost Famoso,” which focuses on the release of his new Ask a Mexican! book.
Well, congrats on your book. I would love to see you come to the Borders in Torrance—my kids and I hang out there. I read your column, and even though I am not a Mexican, I still like reading it. Let me know if you have any plans to come by the South Bay.
Patty
via e-mail
I hope that Gustavo never runs out of his motivation for defending his Ask a Mexican! column. His ability to answer the questions in a humorous, factual, historical and unique style, a style that is intellectually stimulating and entwined in a response is entertaining to say the least. I, for one, am going to buy the book ASAP.
Art Acevedo
via e-mail
BRAIN FOOD
The following letter is in regards to Gustavo Arellano's May 3 “Mexcellente!“—a guide to Orange County's most stereotypical Mexican restaurant logos.
Pretty weak Mexican food article and reviews, especially with such a wealth of great Mexican grub in OC! [Do] Better next year.
Jim Brooks
via e-mail
EVERY PICTURE TELLS A STORY
In Gustavo Arellano's March 8 Ask a Mexican! column, he asks readers for their opinion on the column's logo, a clichd cartoon of a revolutionary Mexican male, complete with mustache, sombrero and gold teeth.
I think that changing the picture would be a shame. If you changed the picture to (as suggested by others) a photo of a happy Mexican family, the tone of the articles would be affected. When you approach something in a tongue-in-cheek, sarcastic way, the only way to go is balls-out! Put a provocative picture up there of a “stereotypical Mexican” and catch the bigots' attention. Keep writing! Love it!
Jacky
via e-mail
WAB-ULOUS!
The following letter concerns Gustavo Arellano's July 21, 2005, Ask a Mexican! column, in which a reader asks what the definition of “wab” is.
I remember growing up in Santa Ana as a kid, and there was a bunch up “grafilthy” done up all beaner-style on the wall behind the strip mall on Main Street and Edinger, facing Cypress, the street I grew up on. It had Cedar Street, F Troop and all these stupid punk-ass gang scrawlings. When la Raza started coming in droves and taking over Santa Ana, new graffiti began to appear—wabs all over the place. I always assumed it was a perversion of the word “wetbacks” that la Raza couldn't pronounce. So wetbacks became wabs, and it became their little clique name and eventually their tag, so people always assumed it was a gang of wetbacks. That's what I remember from the mid-'70s—lame-ass OC gangs.
Jaime
via e-mail
CAN YOU FEEL THE AMOR TONIGHT?
Love the Ask a Mexican!column. I live in the D.C. area, and I love reading the column, and I bought the book after I read about it in Latina magazine. Love it, love it, love it!
Elsy Morataya
via e-mail
A FRIEND IN NEED
This next letter pertains to R. Scott Moxley's April 26 story, “Angry Asian Rap Stalls Case,” in which Moxley reports that the Virginia Tech murders stalled the trial of OC Sheriff pal Raymond K. Yi, accused of six felony charges.
I can't believe this guy is still in office. I guess corruption in law enforcement isn't a stereotype.
Anonymous
via e-mail
ALL GUSTAVO, ALL THE TIME
The following is in regards to Gustavo Arellano's Jan. 13, 2005, Ask a Mexican! column, in which a reader asks why Mexican girls are beautiful when they are teenagers but “become fat, old bags” over the years.
I see the humor, but it is very raw. I hope you know what you are doing. I am a supporter of our Mexican immigrants, and I bristle at some of the stereotypes you answer to. Good luck to you. I think you are a good answer to the Mexican-bashers. I have heard very hateful things from supposedly civilized gabachos.
El Gallo sin Cabesa
via e-mail
THANKS FOR YOUR PATRONAGE!
With Steve [Lowery] and Rebecca [Schoenkopf] gone, there is no life left in the paper. No humor, no edge, no spank. You are plain and boring. I don't know what you did to all these good people to make them run away, but I can guess. I won't pick up OC Weekly ever again. Adios, amigos!
Alex Artsyukhovich
via e-mail
Editor's note: Hey, thanks for noticing the success of the Village Voice Media Stultifying Prose Project (or VVMSPP, as we have it tattooed in reverse on our employees' foreheads so they can see it every time they look in the mirror as a reminder to check their creativity at the door before coming to work). But your “no spank” comment is inaccurate. In fact, our corporal-punishment initiative has been a real hit. [Laugh track] The beatings will continue until morale improves—or until stuff like this stops happening:
MAJOR AWARDS? MAJOR AWARDS
Three OC Weekly writers are up for the Los Angeles Press Club's Southern California Journalism Awards—and one of them has already won. Gustavo Arellano, who will receive the President's Award at the June 16 awards ceremony, is also a finalist for Journalist of the Year in our print circulation category for his body of work in 2006. R. Scott Moxley is a finalist in the investigative/series category for his story “The New Crips.” And, Luke Y. Thompson is a finalist in the entertainment reviews/criticism/column category for his review of the film Monster House.
HELP US DISMANTLE ALL THAT IS GOOD, HOLY, MINTY-FRESH, DOLPHIN-SAFE, CARBON-NEUTRAL AND LESS FILLING ABOUT THIS PAPER
The Weekly has an immediate opening for a managing editor. The position requires finely honed writing, editing and management skills. The managing editor must be able to guide both experienced and beginning staff writers in producing superior magazine-style stories as well as supervise the day-to-day operations of the editorial department. The most promising applicants will be asked to take an extensive editing test. Interested applicants should contact Ted B. Kissell, editor, at OC Weekly, 1666 N. Main St., Ste. 500, Santa Ana, CA 92701. E-mail tk******@oc******.com. No phone calls, please.
OR JUST HELP US DO ALL THAT WITHOUT MAKING ANY TYPOS
We are also looking for a dependable, experienced proofreader for part-time, weekend proofing. A rigorous test covering spelling, grammar, word usage, punctuation and style will be given to qualified candidates. Potential proofreaders should contact Erich Burnett at Village Voice Media, 1468 W. Ninth St., Ste. 805, Cleveland, OH 44113. E-mail Er***********@Vi***************.com. You never call anymore. Which is how we like it.
