Salon | Letters to the editor

_______________ MOTHERS WHO THINK TOO MUCH BY ANNE S. LEWIS (06/24/98)

Anne S. Lewis calls a woman's pregnancy with a Down's syndrome baby a "hideous malfunction." While I understand a Down's baby is not what most mothers hope for, I thought I would share an experience of mine. A friend of mine gave birth to a Down's baby about 6 years ago, and I remember my mother exclaiming what a "tragedy" it was. The baby, Cody, grew up to be a funny, loving child. He was soon joined by two younger sisters who are both "normal." Cody was the ring bearer at his uncle's wedding recently, walking alongside his younger sister, who was the flower girl. As she threw petals down, Cody picked them up, concerned about the mess. If Cody had been thought a hideous malfunction, he might never have been able to bring as much joy and happiness as he has. I am not anti-choice, nor am I unsympathetic to the writer's desire for a "normal" child, but I think it's important to take into consideration the feelings of others before making such a harsh judgment.
-- Devorah Rodgers
_______________ TURNING THE TABLES ON TERRY GROSS BY LORI LEIBOVICH (06/22/98)

Thanks for Lori Leibovitch's profile of NPR's wonderful Terry Gross. I, too, greatly admire Gross' unique ability to ask tough questions while seeming warm and engaging instead of threatening and remote.
And, oh MY, that voice!
Once, while on a long automobile trip with a former girlfriend, I remember listening to Gross interview a guest on "Fresh Air." I must have had an enamored grin on my face, because my girlfriend turned to me and asked, "Why do you love this program so much?"
My answer?
"Because Terry Gross interviews people as if she were lying in bed next to them on a Sunday morning."
-- Brian Hirschfield
Like that fellow Greil Marcus, I too feel the voices at NPR are a bit stale, though unlike him I would not have spared Ms. Gross.
Like many another radio interviewer and talk show host, Gross has a tendency to include a good bit of information about herself in the program, and quite frankly I don't listen to such programs to learn about the host, however nice they might be. I would rather listen to someone like CSPAN's Brian Lamb, who seems never to forget where the focus of an interview should be.
While I can sympathize with those listeners who want "their" interviewer/talk show host to be a "friend" and a "nice" person (something of a virtual buddy), perhaps they'd be better off getting a dog.
-- George Mendez
Crownsville, Md.
I have to say that your tribute to Terry Gross left me with severe questions regarding your reliability and intelligence. She's really the worst kind of voyeur: someone without a life of her own, and nothing to do but inquire hungrily after the most sordid aspects of an interviewee's life.
-- Susan Ito
I just finished reading Lori Leibovich's paean to Terry Gross. I too think Terry Gross does a terrific job in all of her interviews I've heard. But it's an interview that I and other regular listeners to the show didn't have the opportunity to hear that raises questions about Gross' integrity. Specifically, on Jan. 27, 1993, Gross taped an interview with Robert Friedman about his book called "Zealots for Zion" -- a book highly critical of Israeli settlers on the West Bank that was reviewed favorably in the New York Times Book Review and elsewhere. The interview never was broadcast.
Gross claimed that she didn't air the interview because she felt some of Friedman's views were too extreme, it was unbalanced and she couldn't locate a counterbalancing opponent of Friedman to interview. Now, Gross interviews guests with highly controversial views from time to time and has managed to play devil's advocate. What made this interview different?
It seems clear that because what the press characterizes as the pro-Israel lobby (exemplified by C.A.M.E.R.A.) loudly protested the impending airing of the interview, Gross capitulated. Now Leibovich may plead that this incident is ancient history. But who is to say who Ms. Gross doesn't interview out of fear of offending that same loose grouping or others? It's a question Leibovich ought to have addressed or at least acknowledged. Perhaps she simply didn't know about it. If so, Leibovich might learn the importance of one chore that Ms. Gross clearly does not shirk: doing your homework.
-- Andrew Zimmerman
_______________ TEEN TRAUMA IN THE MAKING? (06/18/98)

I usually turn to your site for incisive commentary and up-to-the-minute popular culture reports. But please tell me that your recent publicity of Bret "I can't write for shit, my literary career has gone down the toilet" Easton Ellis is a fluke and won't continue.
I innocently tuned in for the "Daily Quote" and was treated to an onslaught of brutality and misogyny. What are you guys thinking? No one wants to read this crap! And no one wants to have horrifying images in their heads! Which I now do, thanks to you. You are not "cutting edge" by printing this sort of trash; you are, simply, trash yourselves pandering to the lowest common denominator.
What a shame that I will now have to approach your site with trepidation. On second thought, I won't be back. I love Anne Lamott and Camille Paglia and I can't imagine that they would want to be associated with a site that would have words that ugly and that terrifying and that stupid emblazoned all in the name of Leonardo DiCaprio.
-- Amy Brickell
_______________ HOW TO RUIN YOUR KID'S SUMMER VACATION BY KATE MOSES (06/09/98)

Thank you for making my day. I thoroughly enjoyed "How to ruin your kid's summer vacation." It's especially timely as I field the seasonal question: "Are you sending McCabe (my son) to camp this summer?" I'm not. He is only 5, and I'd like him to find himself kicking a few cans before kindergarten starts in the fall.
Mothers Who Think has replaced coffee in my daily curriculum of necessities. I commend all the editors and contributors for their hard work in relating their parenting experiences.
-- Susan McCabe
SALON | June 26, 1998

R E C E N T L Y+| THERE THEY GO AGAIN BY DAVID TALBOT

If you'd like to submit a letter to the editor for publication,
please e-mail us at salon@salonmagazine.com.
Letters may be edited for clarity and conciseness.
If you do not wish the letter to be published, please say so.

_______________ MOTHERS WHO THINK TOO MUCH BY ANNE S. LEWIS (06/24/98)
	Anne S. Lewis calls a woman's pregnancy with a Down's syndrome baby a "hideous malfunction." While I understand a Down's baby is not what most mothers hope for, I thought I would share an experience of mine. A friend of mine gave birth to a Down's baby about 6 years ago, and I remember my mother exclaiming what a "tragedy" it was. The baby, Cody, grew up to be a funny, loving child. He was soon joined by two younger sisters who are both "normal." Cody was the ring bearer at his uncle's wedding recently, walking alongside his younger sister, who was the flower girl. As she threw petals down, Cody picked them up, concerned about the mess. If Cody had been thought a hideous malfunction, he might never have been able to bring as much joy and happiness as he has. I am not anti-choice, nor am I unsympathetic to the writer's desire for a "normal" child, but I think it's important to take into consideration the feelings of others before making such a harsh judgment. -- Devorah Rodgers
_______________ TURNING THE TABLES ON TERRY GROSS BY LORI LEIBOVICH (06/22/98)
	Thanks for Lori Leibovitch's profile of NPR's wonderful Terry Gross. I, too, greatly admire Gross' unique ability to ask tough questions while seeming warm and engaging instead of threatening and remote. And, oh MY, that voice! Once, while on a long automobile trip with a former girlfriend, I remember listening to Gross interview a guest on "Fresh Air." I must have had an enamored grin on my face, because my girlfriend turned to me and asked, "Why do you love this program so much?" My answer? "Because Terry Gross interviews people as if she were lying in bed next to them on a Sunday morning." -- Brian Hirschfield Like that fellow Greil Marcus, I too feel the voices at NPR are a bit stale, though unlike him I would not have spared Ms. Gross. Like many another radio interviewer and talk show host, Gross has a tendency to include a good bit of information about herself in the program, and quite frankly I don't listen to such programs to learn about the host, however nice they might be. I would rather listen to someone like CSPAN's Brian Lamb, who seems never to forget where the focus of an interview should be. While I can sympathize with those listeners who want "their" interviewer/talk show host to be a "friend" and a "nice" person (something of a virtual buddy), perhaps they'd be better off getting a dog. -- George Mendez Crownsville, Md. I have to say that your tribute to Terry Gross left me with severe questions regarding your reliability and intelligence. She's really the worst kind of voyeur: someone without a life of her own, and nothing to do but inquire hungrily after the most sordid aspects of an interviewee's life. -- Susan Ito I just finished reading Lori Leibovich's paean to Terry Gross. I too think Terry Gross does a terrific job in all of her interviews I've heard. But it's an interview that I and other regular listeners to the show didn't have the opportunity to hear that raises questions about Gross' integrity. Specifically, on Jan. 27, 1993, Gross taped an interview with Robert Friedman about his book called "Zealots for Zion" -- a book highly critical of Israeli settlers on the West Bank that was reviewed favorably in the New York Times Book Review and elsewhere. The interview never was broadcast. Gross claimed that she didn't air the interview because she felt some of Friedman's views were too extreme, it was unbalanced and she couldn't locate a counterbalancing opponent of Friedman to interview. Now, Gross interviews guests with highly controversial views from time to time and has managed to play devil's advocate. What made this interview different? It seems clear that because what the press characterizes as the pro-Israel lobby (exemplified by C.A.M.E.R.A.) loudly protested the impending airing of the interview, Gross capitulated. Now Leibovich may plead that this incident is ancient history. But who is to say who Ms. Gross doesn't interview out of fear of offending that same loose grouping or others? It's a question Leibovich ought to have addressed or at least acknowledged. Perhaps she simply didn't know about it. If so, Leibovich might learn the importance of one chore that Ms. Gross clearly does not shirk: doing your homework. -- Andrew Zimmerman
_______________ TEEN TRAUMA IN THE MAKING? (06/18/98)
	I usually turn to your site for incisive commentary and up-to-the-minute popular culture reports. But please tell me that your recent publicity of Bret "I can't write for shit, my literary career has gone down the toilet" Easton Ellis is a fluke and won't continue. I innocently tuned in for the "Daily Quote" and was treated to an onslaught of brutality and misogyny. What are you guys thinking? No one wants to read this crap! And no one wants to have horrifying images in their heads! Which I now do, thanks to you. You are not "cutting edge" by printing this sort of trash; you are, simply, trash yourselves pandering to the lowest common denominator. What a shame that I will now have to approach your site with trepidation. On second thought, I won't be back. I love Anne Lamott and Camille Paglia and I can't imagine that they would want to be associated with a site that would have words that ugly and that terrifying and that stupid emblazoned all in the name of Leonardo DiCaprio. -- Amy Brickell
_______________ HOW TO RUIN YOUR KID'S SUMMER VACATION BY KATE MOSES (06/09/98)
	Thank you for making my day. I thoroughly enjoyed "How to ruin your kid's summer vacation." It's especially timely as I field the seasonal question: "Are you sending McCabe (my son) to camp this summer?" I'm not. He is only 5, and I'd like him to find himself kicking a few cans before kindergarten starts in the fall. Mothers Who Think has replaced coffee in my daily curriculum of necessities. I commend all the editors and contributors for their hard work in relating their parenting experiences. -- Susan McCabe SALON \| June 26, 1998