Archive for November 2007
People MailBag 12/3/2007
Kathie Rementer writes: Could someone please point out to Kate Hudson that her son Ryder is in dire need of a haircut? I’m sure he would be absolutely adorable if he looked like a little boy instead of a little girl.
Kathie, this is 2007. Isn’t it about time we stopped defining what it means to be a boy, a girl, or even adorable by a haircut? I mean, if a haircut alone will make Ryder adorable, then the haircut really isn’t that important. Heck, I bet you wish you’d saved your letter for Celine Dion’s son the following week–that’s right, Kathie. Two weeks in a row, two young boys with long, pretty hair. Two adorable young boys. These days, girls don’t have to play with dolls, men can have long hair, chicks can run for President, and men are even donning the occasional skirt. Oh, we may have to do a few double-takes for awhile, but eventually, Kathie, we’re going to have to re-define our ideas of what boys, girls, and adorable look like. Join with us, Kathie.
Oh, and if that’s not winning you over, how’s this: Ryder three years old. I don’t know about Ryder’s dad, but his mother is Jewish, and Jewish boys get their first haircut at age three. So, there’s still hope, Kathie. Maybe Ryder will receive his traditional cut, you can pop your valium, and life will be okay again.
E.D. Hill’s Cheap Thrill: Racism
The first imaginary name E.D. Hill thinks of for a cat is Whitey. That’s the first one. I’m not all over-P.C.-ing when I say that racist terms, even from people of the same race, shouldn’t be allowed to continue in the public vernacular.
People MailBag 12/10/2007
Rory Gilfillan writes:
I ran the New York City Marathon and finished in a time of 2:36:31. Like many others that day, I earned it the hard way, logging over 100 miles a week for months. And unlike Katie Holmes, I work full-time. Running a 5.5-hour marathon is not impressive, indicates a lack of preparation and is fundamentally disrespectful to the marathon. If you want to know what impressive looks and sounds like, talk to Paula Radcliffe, who had a baby this year and won the same race in 2:23 and change.
Rory, rory, where do we start? You sad, sad, bitter man. Let’s start in the middle–that’s often the best place to start. “Disrespectful to the marathon,” eh? A marathon is an event. Events do not deserve or earn respect. It’s the people that make up an event that can earn, give, and may possibly deserve respect. Syntax-wise, that’s ridiculous.
Speaking of illogical statements, you prepared for the marathon “the hard way,” unlike Katie Holmes apparently did, yet her time isn’t impressive? Well, if she had a “lack of preparation,” then it seems to me that completing a marathon at all is impressive. It must be real disappointing to you that not everyone does things just like you, Rory. That must really make your life a living hell. If it were me, I’d have walked the damn marathon and if I had the will to finish, I’d be lucky if I did it in under nine hours, and you know what? It’d be damn impressive.
I’m guessing you have marathon after marathon under your tight 2:36:31 belt, and I’m pretty sure Katie Holmes doesn’t. It sure doesn’t seem like she made an effort to gather accolades for her “accomplishment,” but you sure seem hell bent on making sure a first time marathoner couldn’t enjoy even the smallest of victories–finishing a marathon. I’m sure Katie is sorry she didn’t make it a top priority, running 100 miles a week, because I’m sure her goal was to whip your ass and Paula’s ass. Or maybe she just wanted to run 26.2 miles. And she did. And finishing something a person starts is finishing well, Rory. It’s impressive. So shut the hell up.
Stop disrespecting people who run marathons by suggesting there’s only one frame of mind or approach to running them. What a load of crap.
EDIT (30 Dec. 2007): It should be noted that since this original post, Rory himself has commented on this blog, though I did not contact him to let him know of its existence. In any case, you can see two posts from Rory in the comments section, and I think both of them are well worth reading.
