Subject: Finest Hour Long Gone
Re: “Kausfiles: Hell, No, We Weren’t Wrong To Not Go!”
From: Ah Q
Date: Sun May 6 7:54 p.m. PT
Why do so many of the people who were drafted and later realized the errors of Vietnam policy still detest the former liberal anti-war elites? The liberal elites who opposed the Vietnam War spent more time shutting down the dean’s office and pursuing the French spirit of ‘68 than they did trying to build some kind of tangible relationship with the folks who were getting drafted and getting killed—that is to say, working folks, black folks, and Asian folks. Ask yourself, if the anti-war movement was interested in moving beyond the narrow focus of protest and in-group competition for avant-garde status, wouldn’t it have produced a new interest in the outside world in general—or at least in the academic establishment—and blunted the blinders-on, dopey disco edge of the seventies and the neo-imperialism of the Reagan years?
[Find this post here.]
Subject: Rosie vs. Jennifer
Re: “Everyday Economics: Why Are We Getting So Fat?”
From: Richard L.
Date: Tue May 1 7:39 p.m. PT
The media saturates us with stories about “unrealistic body expectations” and whether or not the latest Hollywood starlet is “too thin.” From my perspective [as a physician], these stories are frankly ridiculous. Just once, instead of a story about whether or not Jennifer Aniston is anorexic, I would love to see a piece about the increased risk of diabetes, hypertension, stroke, and heart attack that Rosie O’Donnell is subject to by virtue of being overweight. It’s not OK to be fat. We should be a little less mindful of people’s self esteem in this regard and a little more mindful of their health.
[Find this post here.]
Subject: The Upside of a Recession
Re: “Culturebox: The Year of the Rock”
From: Jana Bittinger
Date: Tue May 1 2001 5:12 p.m. PT
The volume of good music in the marketplace is directly attributable to what record companies are promoting. If we’re in the midst of a boom, their target audience is 9 to16-year-olds with swollen allowances due to the trickle-down effect of family economics. Hello Britney Spears. If, however, mom and pops are unemployed, a reality check ensues and we get substantive Pearl Jam. With a recession approaching, the industry is right on schedule. 1967, 1979, 1991 … 2003 can’t arrive soon enough.
[Find this post here.]
Subject: Popeye and Friends
Re: “Moneybox: Ad Report Card—Minute Maid Makes You Gay! (Happy, That Is)”
From: Kurt
Date: Mon May 7 2:38 p.m. PT
The question should not be, “Why are Bluto and Popeye not paying attention to Olive Oyl?” but instead should be, “Why did these two men ever give her the time of day in the first place?” I never understood the attraction.
[Find this post here.]
Fray Notes:
Charles B. Tiffany’s arrival in “Best of the Fray” last week led one reader to say his head was spinning. Mr. Tiffany’s feuds with Slate are legendary, and it should be noted that his post was personally recommended by his chief adversary, “Today’s Papers” writer Scott Shuger. There is hope for you all.
The Fray goes to the movies with two excellent posts. Chris Kelly knew in advance what he would find in the review of The Mummy Returns: a reference to the space between Rachel Weisz’s eyes. David Edelstein didn’t let him down. And Zeitguy found the “Plot Holes” on Along Came a Spider so helpful that it substituted for seeing the movie.
What deserves a Fray checkmark? This post? For: It encouraged a long and interesting discussion, and comparisons with God are always welcome. Against: The post is without factual basis.
Fray of the week was on the “Everyday Economics” on why Americans are obese—see also above. Our favorite answer came from Chuck A., who blames the sexual revolution: Men have taken up cooking, and what they serve is barbeque and other forms of “spiced-up fat.” We said in the Notes, this Fray was full of the sinister, the insulting and the outrageous.
We liked the contest for a slang name for transsexuals in the Fray on the Miss Universe “Culturebox“—enter here. And see also a post from Thrasymachus with the title “Satan in Satin.” Why? “This post has nothing to do with Satan in drag. … I included the word ‘Satan’ in the title solely in the hopes of attracting editorial attention.” Works every time.
