Going Postal July 22 2000

Grass not greener in Arizona
Looking at last week’s “Scrawls” cartoon (July 15) which featured a couple who wondered why the former lush, green Georgia was now desert-like, I almost laughed aloud at the irony. Having spent the last six years in Arizona, I hate to tell you that many people in the Southwest wish there were more beautiful saguaro cacti and open desert areas.

Nowadays, thanks to over-zealous developers who tear up large tracts of desert and pave them over with parking lots, McMansions and swimming pools, and with more and more people driving bigger pick-up trucks and SUVs, the desert sky is now ash white, the temperature is hotter than ever, the humidity is higher than ever, and the number of asthma cases is climbing. Sound familiar? To quote from Alstad’s book of old-time cowboy sayings, “You can educate a fool but you can’t make him think.”

-- L. Culp, Decatur

Chastising Chastain chatters Thanks for telling it like it is about the (lack of) concert etiquette at Chastain (Round Midnight, CL, July 15). As a musician, it is embarrassing when I go to see serious artists who are clearly annoyed and distracted by the social crowd. This is often their only impression of the city’s listeners.

The only places I’ve found to have true listening audiences for serious artists are the Variety Playhouse (on most occasions), Symphony Hall and Spivey Hall.

Not that our griping is going to change anything, but it’s good to know someone else out there shares my opinion. Keep up the good work.

— Todd Ferguson, Flowery Branch



Ready to rumble
The following is in response to Stephanie Ramage’s article on pro wrestling (“Not Ready to Rumble,” CL, July 8) which could have been titled, “Not Ready to Parent.” I find it odd, that in an American culture so intricately ingrained with violence, pro wrestling is consistently, and unfairly, singled out by the media.

Ding. Ding. Welcome to the tag-team match of the century! (Available, of course, on Pay-Per-View for only $49.95) In the blue corner weighing in as a billion dollar industry is the WWF, WCW and all other wrestling organizations, and in the red corner armed with “scientific” research and “expert” psychological opinions is the team of parental neglect, pass-the-buck mentality and popular media. Quickly, let’s get down to our ringside correspondent:

Interviewer: “Let’s talk to one of the contestants in the red corner about tonight’s spectacle.”

Contestant: “This is a long time coming, I mean, I didn’t know what my child was watching , but I heard it’s negatively effecting his behavior. Obviously, his recent trouble has nothing to do with the fact I haven’t been home in over two years, it’s that damn wrestling, someone ought to censor it.”

Interviewer: (out of curiosity) “Where have you been for two years?

Contestant: “Lexuses aren’t cheap, you know. Especially when you own two of them!”

And there’s the bell ... out of the red corner comes the media ... they’re verbally lambasting pro wrestling ... it seems wrestling will be responsible for the downfall of our great civilization! Here comes Creative Loafing, “Is professional wrestling pile-driving kids’ minds?” Wrestling easily dodges, ratings are still going through the ceiling. A tag is made, here comes the negligent parents, “It’s your responsibility to make sure content is acceptable for young children!” ... WWF fires back, “What is a 4-year-old doing up after 9 o’clock, or watching television after 10 o’clock when our raciest themes are aired?” ... Negligent parents are backed up, “Don’t tell me how to raise my kids!” Creative Loafing hops over the ropes and jumps back in the melee, they argue that wrestling videos can be, of all things, rented! WCW puts the sleeper hold on, “How many 9-year-olds does Blockbuster give rental cards to? Somebody, presumably an adult, must be making these rentals.”

Pass-the-buck mentality intervenes, they beat wrestling mercilessly, continuously chanting, “It’s not my fault.” They cite an example: Big tobacco gave them lung cancer, sure they smoked eight packs a day for 20 years, and they’ve read every warning label, but goshdarn it, it’s just not their fault ... and the rest of America agrees, no citizens are ever to blame! Wrestling is pinned!

One ... two ... thr ... Hold on! Wrest-ling has just been saved by a masked avenger, he turns pass-the-back mentality over and gets the three count. The masked avenger removes his hood, why it’s the lost American virtue, why, it’s ... Common Sense!

-- Christopher Dowd, Marietta