Karma Cleanser - July 24 2003

Dear Karma Cleanser:
You wrote to “So Bloom Already” (the 19-year-old who complained about not getting dates): “Either drop the Ice Queen act or get comfy being alone. ... Until you can learn to let things go, warm up to strangers and be a little pleasant, the parade of perverts and drug pushers will most likely continue.”

You really are clueless. My daughter is 18 and has the same problem. She is shy and quiet around strangers. But if you look at the world nowadays, it’s understandable that a young woman would be a little hesitant to push herself into the fray.

There have been several occasions where I have found flowers on our front porch and badly written love poems on ripped sheets of paper from neighborhood boys. The problem (other than the fact that it feels a little like stalking) is that these boys are drug dealers and gang members. They think that a smile from a girl entitles them to more. The fault lies not with the young woman but with the way these young men were raised. Perhaps the young lady “So Bloom Already” needs to find a different neighborhood — some place not so quick to blame her for not wanting her first kiss to go to a pervert or drug dealer.

-- Don’t Blame the Victim


Maybe you’re onto something, and perhaps “So Bloom’s” dating woes and self-proclaimed iciness are the natural byproducts of a crappy dating pool. But it sounds to us like you’re projecting your own guilt for raising your child in a ghetto, rather than really listening to the letter-writer’s problem. Not all teenage boys are gangsta drug dealers in training, and some of those poorly written love poems just might have been sincere. Until you learn to let your daughter decide for herself, don’t expect her dance card to fill up anytime soon.

br>?Dear Karma Cleanser:
I really disagree with your response to “Inhumane Society,” the writer who wouldn’t give $10 to his friend who had rescued a sick stray dog.

The writer asked: “So many healthy dogs and cats are put to sleep every day, why not save one of those?” But this shows just how flawed his logic is. Obviously God (or the Great Spirit or the Universe or whatever) was sending this person a chance to do good in the world, and he or she failed.

Surely you, as one who’s dedicated to spreading good karma, should have taken the chance to show some compassion to the poor, helpless canine.

-- Using Your Paper to Train the Puppies


Ouch.

Been bad? karma@creativeloafing.com.