Mailbox: 11.19.08 - 11.25.08
This Week: An NYU student gets a new understanding of Condi Rice; Armond White gets a few licks; sounds like love for Mark Blankenships advice column Sounds Like a Plan; and a reader discovers Paul Krassners writing in our archives and has a few choice words. ------ Sistah Soul I would like to commend Jamaal Young for his article, My Sistah in the Struggle (Nov. 12-18). I could really relate to the article: Jamaal explained Condoleezza Rice from the perspective of a young and progressive Democrat. He clarified the context of how she rose in the Republican partysomething I never quite understood. The article also offered great ideas of how the Republicans could live and learn from their mistakes, which I think should be heard by influential conservative members (the My Bad tour especially, haha). Great article!
Crystal Boyd, NYU Undergrad
------
Serial Mistake Armond White makes a common mistake [in his review of Quantum of Solace] (Rough Trade, Nov. 12-18): The James Bond films are a movie series, not a movie serial. Movie serials were usually 15-minute films shown over a number of weeks the viewer would have to keep coming back to for the whole story.
Patrick Lozito, Brooklyn
------
Soul Kissed Are you kidding me? You actually let Armond White write about Soul Man (Our Soul Man, Nov. 12-18) as if it were a respected film and has anything to do with Barack Obamas candidacy or election? I know people seem to love to hate the guy, but this almost goes without saying: Hes an idiot. Ive (begrudgingly) watched that movie dozens of times when it was re-run on cable, but I can never take it seriously. Its one of the stupidest things Ive ever been subjected to (lets not discuss why I go through the misery, its just one of those things). Anyway, Armond, I hope you enjoyed your little mental masturbation because thats exactly what it was. Shame, shame.
Tony Kranzt, NY
------
Blast from the Past
Paul Krassners autobiographical column (from Aug. 19, 2003) seemed to contain more than a few anecdotes seemingly designed to enhance his stature (warning: writers may be smaller than they appear)... As a subscriber to The Realist in the early 60s, my recollection of the One Nation Under God poster was a bearded deity on top of the Statue of Liberty...but Alzheimers and Jack Daniels do funny things to ones mind.
Lionel Libson, Camden, Maine