March 2007 | Letters to the Editor
From Our Readers
Sexual Correctness
I’m a regular reader of Common Ground. I appreciate the focus of this magazine, but Todd Spencer’s column (“Sexual Healing”) in the latest issue, included one of the most cynical and sexist paragraphs I’ve seen in a long time. Maybe I could expect something like it in GQ, but in Common Ground ?
I take issue with the implication that Valentine’s Day is important only to “the fairer sex.” I take issue with the phrase “the fairer sex”! Which sex is fairer? From whose point of view? Aren’t we trying to work toward a world in which everyone is free to be romantic, or not? Must dating/mating/relationships be fights? Must they always be heterosexual?
You hit it right on the head when you said that Hallmark is the enemy. Let’s remember that!
I look forward to your response.
—Noam Szoke, San Francisco
Dear Noam,
It does seem in my own observations that, in the aggregate, women care more about the holiday than men. Though, it’s also “fair” to say that both sexes dislike the “holiday” to an equal degree when they happen to be caught romantically uninvolved at the time it rolls around. And I appreciate our “common ground” on Hallmark being our mutual enemy. It was with some (though not complete) brotherhood that I read a story on Feb. 14 about fundamentalist Hindus protesting the encroachment of Valentine’s Day in India. And yes, it’s also true that not everyone is looking for heterosexual romance (as was depicted on page 42) or even romance at all — our feature on One Taste’s Urban Monk program touched on the sensuality and virtue of celibacy. Thanks for reading, and your thoughts. — Editor
And a note from the founder of Underground “Stopping Shopping” e-collective The Compact (“Buying Out” Dec. Common Ground ), who writes in his thanks and a funny, sort of inside joke:
Common Ground — Not For Sale
Just wanted to let you know that I really liked the way you handled the “politics of freecycle” letter. Also, another great issue. I have to confess that I didn’t know much about Common Ground before The Compact story, but I’m really glad it’s been brought to my attention — and I don’t have to buy it!
— John Perry, San Francisco
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