Common Ground: From Our Readers

December 2007 | Letters to the Editor

From Our Readers

All Smoke and No Fire

Just to add a little perspective: There are probably plenty of readers like me who saw the American Spirit ad and didn’t even give it a second thought. At a certain point, people need to learn to take responsibility for themselves, instead of fretting about ads. BTW — I dig the magazine. Hope the ad revenue continues to be sufficient without the smoke ads.
— Peter Mitchell, Shoreline, WA

After reading about the influx of “heartfelt and impassioned” letters regarding the insert ad for a brand of natural cigarettes, I feel the strong need to respond from the other side. I was actually pleased to see the ad in Common Ground! Since when can’t a smoker be a person who makes conscious choices? If a sugar addict can choose organic sugar and a drinker can choose organic wine, why can’t a smoker choose natural/organic tobacco? Surprise, surprise readers, there are more natural tobacco users out there who also eat organically and shop locally and think globally than you realize. Let’s face it, in excess, tobacco kills, sugar kills, alcohol kills… so why is one okay to advertise and another one not?
— Anonymous, Seattle, WA

“A. Cox” Not a Fan of the Vibe

I have to say after reading the letters to the editor from the October issue, I agree with those opposing the cigarette ads. While you have addressed that, while browsing the November issue, I noticed the paid advertisement for the smitten kitten sinfluut rechargeable vibe. I think consumers who want products like this can seek them out. I really didn’t appreciate the visual and found it disturbing. I wouldn’t feel comfortable leaving this publication around a home with children for that reason.
— A. Cox, via email

I Once Was Blind, But Now I Seo

I just finished reading the “Conversations” with Danny Seo (Oct. ’07) and feel so uplifted by it! It is great to have your magazine available as a source of inspiration as well as information — and FREE!?!?! I am a huge fan! Thanks for bringing a little extra joy into the world!
— Holly Michelle Eckert, Seattle, WA

A Picture of a Pig’s Head is Worth 1000 Letters

While I am not the type of person who feels the need to censure articles I do not agree with or find distasteful, I was really surprised to find this celebration of meat eating in Common Ground. It doesn’t seem congruent with the ethical life that I associate with CG, but more in line with the LA Times cooking section that cares nothing about ethics, environment or consciousness. When I read about the goat who was slaughtered by chef Cosentino, I felt very sorry for that small creature who probably thought Cosentino might be a friend and then was utterly betrayed by him. But more than that I felt sorry for Cosentino himself. How sad to have so little heart to be able to kill a defenseless animal for its flesh. How sad to be so disconnected from life to not feel anything. The picture of him with the pig’s head said it all. He looks defiant and hardened. He is definitely stuck on his flesh habit and not centered on higher values. There is no need for a fixation on flesh foods in this day and age. There is plenty of vegetarian foods to make eating fun, delicious, satisfying and healthful. There is no need to kill animals, at all.
— Kristina Cahill, Long Beach, CA

I’ve been reading the mag since it first came out way back when. What an oasis in a sea of jabber you have been to me all these years. But, I don’t know what’s going on for you guys now. I’m curious as to why you thought your readers wanted to see a photo of a chef proudly holding a severe’d pig’s head under his arm? Or, read a recipe for cow’s heart salad? (I think it was a cow’s heart salad, it was some dead animal’s heart and I tossed the magazine away after that in disbelief.) And no, I didn’t read the article... one picture tells a thousand words and that was enough for me! Midlife publishing crisis? Pressure from the meat eaters upstairs? I’ve stood by you this long so I’m not abandoning you now, but what the heck is going on over there? That article was totally creepy and I was shocked that you would even consider publishing it. I think you screwed up again. There, I said it! Keep up all the other fantastic work that you do.
— Gayl Murphy, via email

I was appalled that Common Ground would allow an article advocating the eating of cow’s hearts, livers and intestines. The meat industry causes atrocious suffering every moment of every miserable day for “food” animals. Vegan is the only compassionate diet that eliminates animal suffering. Animal agriculture is poisoning the planet. Free Range /Organic animals still SUFFER when they are MURDERED. Common Ground should be advocating a vegan diet. PERIOD.
— Amy Lynn, Pacifica, CA

From the editors: Sincere thanks to all the herbivores who wrote in to express dismay after reading (or in some cases, tossing down in disgust) our story on head to tail eating. While CG is an enthusiastically veg-friendly mag, we are primarily a platform for and about conscious choices. We were intrigued by the choice of chef Chris Cosentino and others who’ve adopted head to tail eating, and think that if you’re going to eat meat, it makes ethical and environmental sense to honor the life lost by making use of the whole animal (from local, sustainable ranchers, of course). But if beef heart’s not your thing, we advise readers to check out some of last month’s go-veg Thanksgiving stats on page 15, or the vegetarian restaurant profiled on page 30.

Recommend this page to a friend

Top Ten pages recommended to friends: