Anson Stevens-Bollen
Cover, July 16: “Best of Santa Fe”
A Pinch of Patriarchy
First, the way that you tried to recognize the way feminists might critique your point (that REI is a great place for men), made me feel like REI is a men's store that throws in some women's clothes so as to appear inclusive. It's weird because I'd never thought of REI that way before. It makes me wonder if you see the whole world that way. It also makes me wonder if you're right, and I just never noticed.
Second, giving excuses for why you're about to be sexist and preemptively insulting anyone who disagrees with you is rude, ineffective, and it's been done a gazillion times. If you need to do that to feel comfortable saying what you want to say, you might want to reconsider whether what you're about to say might be sexist.
Third, I actually think that if you had just said that you loved "wast[ing] entire afternoons posing with mountaineering gear in front of the mirror and never actually buying anything," I wouldn't have found the blurb sexist at all. Perhaps you were too embarrassed to just say this because it makes you sound feminine? i.e. "Guys get to have a shopping montage in their lives too." Yeah, that's actually one of the foundational ideas of feminism, as I understand it—that it frees both women and men from gender stereotypes.
Michelle Wruck
Santa Fe
CORRECTION
The blurb "Best Santa Fe Conspiracy Theory" incorrectly stated that Santa Fe resident Arthur Firstenberg testified about perceived wireless health effects at a recent meeting of the Historic Districts Review Board. Firstenberg did not testify about health effects, but talked about other concerns.
News, July 16: “Tobacco Taboo”
A Most Slippery Slope
One may admire Councilor Ron Trujillo's goal of banning smoke in the City Different—even e-cigs. His proposal begins with city-owned parks and recreation areas, but his goal is, simply, open outdoor settings. Of course, we'll have to relegate Zozobra and his smoky discharge outside city limits. And while some may find the aroma of green chile roasters lucious, others may find the smoke foul. It's a "quality of life" issue, as Trujillo says. Eventually, we must extend the ban to noxious odors such as eructation and associated fumatory projections. Then, at last, our Santa Fe air will be as clear as the dust to which we all return. Except for the fetid airs of politicians. Trujillo, surely your mother taught your that it's impolite to speak with your mouth open. En boca cerrada no entran moscas.
Albo P Fossa
Santa Fe
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