Letters to the Editor 07-24-2003
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
By -
- Nostalgia - Bad Review - Whitko School Board
Nostalgia
Editor, Times-Union:First, I just want to say that I realize the fact that the young don't care for nostalgia, nor comparing likes and dislikes of another era with what individuals accept or reject today, which is what this piece is all about. Anyhow, I write mainly for the enjoyment of the elderly. So many older people tell me (their peer) that they enjoy what I write because they don't experience nostalgia from any other source; however, lately I have been thinking about books - mainly novels - and how much the style of literary creativity has changed throughout the years.
Sometime I would like the opportunity to ask the reading public: "Does anybody remember a novelist by the name of Gene Stratton-Porter?" Our parents and grandparents loved her books that were all about nature; the birds, the bees, butterflies, flowers, not to mention characters that were "icky-sticky" clean and perfect. Why, I bet the youth of today wouldn't stay with a Gene Stratton-Porter novel five minutes before deciding to toss it into the garbage can. No sir! None of that old-fashioned, sugary sweet "tripe" for most readers of our time! But Stephen King! Now there's an author whom many of the young (and the mature ladies) dote on. Mr. King's plots are filled with those ingredients that youth and so many adult females seem to have a mad desire for: ugliness, depravity, violence and gore, which often summit to the height of absolute nausea.
At times, I wonder about Mr. King. Now, I am not intimating that he is demented, or any such thing. But I just wonder how an author in his work can deal in his mind with so much madness and absolute horror without the possibility of taking a chance on verging on the brink of insanity himself. However, I'm afraid that, in these times, a staid, upright, "moralistic" author such as Mrs. Gene Stratton-Porter couldn't begin to compete with that "royal" master of horror and the macabre, Mr. Stephen King, for he is a gentleman who has hit the best-seller list how many times? Yes, in this day and age, murder mayhem, depravity and corruption are the main constituents that often go into the origination of a best-selling novel.
And the kiddies? Do they want stories about "Little Red Riding Hood" or "Peter Cottontail?" I should say not! It's "Harry Potter! Harry Potter! Harry Potter!" and all of that witchcraft, or "Lord of the Rings" or "Jurassic Park" and those monstrous, life-destroying dinosaurs. Yes, that's what the kiddies crave today, which means that the age of innocence and naivete among the small fry has vanished forever.
Don Kaiser
Warsaw
Bad Review
Editor, Times-Union:When I read David Slone's review of "Phantom," I almost gave away our tickets to the play. I'm glad I didn't. The play was wonderful. Meade, as Carlotta, did not steal the show. Arbizzani, as Christine, had a fantastic voice and played her part to perfection. She did much better than the review indicated. Both the phantom and his father did outstanding jobs in their roles. The play was not lacking in anything. Roy Hine did a superb job with sets - I don't know how his creativity could have stretched any farther, but the results were amazing.
Slone says, "The play is not something I could recommend." He should have prefaced that with "In my opinion." In my humble opinion, it was well worth the time and money and I am glad that Slone ended his review giving us permission to go and make up our own minds. I don't think I'll ever trust one of his reviews again. "Phantom" was great and the Wagon Wheel adds a dimension of culture to our community that we couldn't do without. Incidentally, several other playgoers who were there the same night we were agreed with my assessment of Slone's review.
Grace Abbott
Warsaw
via e-mail
Whitko School Board
Editor, Times-Union:Jeers to the members of the school board, Mrs. Trump, Mr. Trump, Mr. Mitchell, and Mr. Tranter you should all have a tough time looking in the mirror. I have several suggestions for you, first carry a sweater along for the rest of the summer, I think walking through the community might be a bit chilly considering the majority of your constituents supported Mrs. Lee. Second, don't get too comfortable in those school board seats; you might have lost any chance of winning re-election.20
Jeers to the administrators who pushed for the termination of Sharon Lee. Somewhere in your training to be an administrator there must have been a chapter on fostering a positive work atmosphere. Reread those notes and begin to apply in your buildings.
Jeers to the teachers who did not make the effort to get involved in this decision. Now that the leaders of the two elementary schools and the middle school have been empowered to fire who they choose, who knows you might be next.
Cheers to Mr. Braddock, who with a great deal of passion and emotion broke ranks and voted for Mrs. Lee.
Cheers to the new high school principal, I witnessed your kindness toward Mrs. Lee after the meeting. Instead of sneaking out the back exit like the rest of the board and principals, you displayed leadership and maturity.
Finally I want to extend my deepest thanks to Sharon Lee for her tireless work for a school system that just fired you. My advice to you, go get a job in a hospital and hope that each administrator and each board member that has dragged your good name through the mud comes in to the facility you work at for an enema and your on duty!
David McCracken
Fort Wayne
via e-mail
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- Nostalgia - Bad Review - Whitko School Board
Nostalgia
Editor, Times-Union:First, I just want to say that I realize the fact that the young don't care for nostalgia, nor comparing likes and dislikes of another era with what individuals accept or reject today, which is what this piece is all about. Anyhow, I write mainly for the enjoyment of the elderly. So many older people tell me (their peer) that they enjoy what I write because they don't experience nostalgia from any other source; however, lately I have been thinking about books - mainly novels - and how much the style of literary creativity has changed throughout the years.
Sometime I would like the opportunity to ask the reading public: "Does anybody remember a novelist by the name of Gene Stratton-Porter?" Our parents and grandparents loved her books that were all about nature; the birds, the bees, butterflies, flowers, not to mention characters that were "icky-sticky" clean and perfect. Why, I bet the youth of today wouldn't stay with a Gene Stratton-Porter novel five minutes before deciding to toss it into the garbage can. No sir! None of that old-fashioned, sugary sweet "tripe" for most readers of our time! But Stephen King! Now there's an author whom many of the young (and the mature ladies) dote on. Mr. King's plots are filled with those ingredients that youth and so many adult females seem to have a mad desire for: ugliness, depravity, violence and gore, which often summit to the height of absolute nausea.
At times, I wonder about Mr. King. Now, I am not intimating that he is demented, or any such thing. But I just wonder how an author in his work can deal in his mind with so much madness and absolute horror without the possibility of taking a chance on verging on the brink of insanity himself. However, I'm afraid that, in these times, a staid, upright, "moralistic" author such as Mrs. Gene Stratton-Porter couldn't begin to compete with that "royal" master of horror and the macabre, Mr. Stephen King, for he is a gentleman who has hit the best-seller list how many times? Yes, in this day and age, murder mayhem, depravity and corruption are the main constituents that often go into the origination of a best-selling novel.
And the kiddies? Do they want stories about "Little Red Riding Hood" or "Peter Cottontail?" I should say not! It's "Harry Potter! Harry Potter! Harry Potter!" and all of that witchcraft, or "Lord of the Rings" or "Jurassic Park" and those monstrous, life-destroying dinosaurs. Yes, that's what the kiddies crave today, which means that the age of innocence and naivete among the small fry has vanished forever.
Don Kaiser
Warsaw
Bad Review
Editor, Times-Union:When I read David Slone's review of "Phantom," I almost gave away our tickets to the play. I'm glad I didn't. The play was wonderful. Meade, as Carlotta, did not steal the show. Arbizzani, as Christine, had a fantastic voice and played her part to perfection. She did much better than the review indicated. Both the phantom and his father did outstanding jobs in their roles. The play was not lacking in anything. Roy Hine did a superb job with sets - I don't know how his creativity could have stretched any farther, but the results were amazing.
Slone says, "The play is not something I could recommend." He should have prefaced that with "In my opinion." In my humble opinion, it was well worth the time and money and I am glad that Slone ended his review giving us permission to go and make up our own minds. I don't think I'll ever trust one of his reviews again. "Phantom" was great and the Wagon Wheel adds a dimension of culture to our community that we couldn't do without. Incidentally, several other playgoers who were there the same night we were agreed with my assessment of Slone's review.
Grace Abbott
Warsaw
via e-mail
Whitko School Board
Editor, Times-Union:Jeers to the members of the school board, Mrs. Trump, Mr. Trump, Mr. Mitchell, and Mr. Tranter you should all have a tough time looking in the mirror. I have several suggestions for you, first carry a sweater along for the rest of the summer, I think walking through the community might be a bit chilly considering the majority of your constituents supported Mrs. Lee. Second, don't get too comfortable in those school board seats; you might have lost any chance of winning re-election.20
Jeers to the administrators who pushed for the termination of Sharon Lee. Somewhere in your training to be an administrator there must have been a chapter on fostering a positive work atmosphere. Reread those notes and begin to apply in your buildings.
Jeers to the teachers who did not make the effort to get involved in this decision. Now that the leaders of the two elementary schools and the middle school have been empowered to fire who they choose, who knows you might be next.
Cheers to Mr. Braddock, who with a great deal of passion and emotion broke ranks and voted for Mrs. Lee.
Cheers to the new high school principal, I witnessed your kindness toward Mrs. Lee after the meeting. Instead of sneaking out the back exit like the rest of the board and principals, you displayed leadership and maturity.
Finally I want to extend my deepest thanks to Sharon Lee for her tireless work for a school system that just fired you. My advice to you, go get a job in a hospital and hope that each administrator and each board member that has dragged your good name through the mud comes in to the facility you work at for an enema and your on duty!
David McCracken
Fort Wayne
via e-mail
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