_______________ SPRINGFIELD'S NATIVE SON BY SUSIE BRIGHT (06/05/98)
	People on both the right and left say that one of the causes of America's current social sickness is that we've lost a "sense of community," that there's too much individualism in this country. I've always held a counterview: I think there's too little individualism in this country -- and by that, I do NOT mean the self-centered, I've-got-mine social Darwinism that right-wingers and libertarians pass off as individualism, but the noble refusal to be defined by others' prejudices and bigotries. I'd like to thank Susie Bright for vindicating my beliefs. I write this as one who usually disagrees strongly with Ms. Bright -- my views on porn are a lot closer to Andrea Dworkin and Catherine MacKinnon in that I firmly believe that the sex industry is as exploitative of its work force (mostly women, but men too) as is, say, Nike. In that context, I think Bright is naive. But she is absolutely right about the repressive, conformist mentality of the American way of community, as exemplified by small towns -- or, even worse, suburbia (which lacks even the genuine sense of caring for one another that's the upside of small-town life). In my opinion, such a "sense of community" has helped to perpetuate some of the worst injustices in this country: racism, classism, homophobia, NIMBY(not-in-my-back-yard)-ism -- take your pick. We need to radically define the meaning of community in America. Let Susie Bright's excellent article serve as the first signpost on this long-overdue journey. -- Peter David Alameda, Calif. Susie Bright's article has successfully turned me off to Salon Magazine for all eternity. Never have I read an article that revealed such contempt for reality. Bright's disdain for crime statistics, factual information and rational speculation makes UFO magazines seem down-to-earth. Susie Bright has managed to destroy Salon Magazine's credibility once and for all. -- Martin Whitman
_______________ INSTANT HISTORIES OF THE BROWSER WARS BY SCOTT ROSENBERG (06/04/98)
	In Scott Rosenberg's review of "Barbarians Led By Bill Gates" by Jennifer Edstrom and Marlin Eller, he dismisses his initial reaction that the ex-Microserf's insider's look might be a bit of Microsoft PR. Rosenberg then proceeds to describe the book as "too raw" and "essentially chaotic," "sketchy on ... details" and "an act of sheer opportunism, rushed to market full of minor errors." Hmmm, I don't know, Scott, it still sounds like a Microsoft product to me! -- Austin W. Troxell
_______________ WHY DO JEWISH CARTOONISTS GET AWAY WITH IT? BY ERIC ALTERMAN (06/01/98)
	As a former Israeli I want to say that the basic flaw in Mr. Alterman's logic is his thinking that American and Israeli Jews are alike. That's a common view shared by American Jews, but not by Israelis. Israelis, by living in Israel, are growing more and more indifferent to their Jewish identity. As a result, American Jews are hardly perceived as "related" and often are viewed as even stranger than any other Americans -- more so as American pop culture is being rapidly adopted. Psychological models do not work interchangeably between the two breeds. They are very different. Israelis do not spend as much time thinking about their Jewishness and its implications -- they don't have to. In fact, to many it's a void question they stopped asking. An Israeli is an Israeli -- being Jewish is redundant. You understand that only by living in Israel. People forget that Israel is still surrounded by hundreds of millions of Arabs living under fascist dictatorships. Israeli attitude toward Palestinians is better explained by the "middle child" metaphor. To many Israelis, the Palestinians are the representation of the outer enemy, threatening their position. This is not a fear that the Palestinians are "Goliath." They are viewed as an indistinguishable part of a bigger threat. The Israeli soldier beating up a Palestinian really means it, I'm afraid. This is how people usually deal with a sworn enemy. Would Mr. Alterman rather see a warm hug? That'll be just lovely, but he's not the one standing there. -- Sivan Mozes SALON | June 10, 1998