Joe Nocera apologized in the Times today for name calling. As one who is interested in how to be politely rude to those you want to be rude to without name calling (which only provokes more of the same) I proffered the following...
Dear Mr. Nocera,
I’ve been writing a blog these past few years that was begun in response to the financial meltdown, and motivated by the indignation I felt. Despite efforts to clamp down on personal debt one encountered new fee structures and or/rules that constantly cancelled out any gains one had made in knocking it down. This prompted me to write a series of letters to The Bouncy Banker, a fictional bank manager, sometimes also referred to as Mr. Bullrider, or the BM. I honestly felt I was being “Screwed” on every front by the financial institutions I dealt with, but when I say “screwed” that really is as rude as this letter gets. The letters had rules: I emphasized finding the place where I could be as rude as possible, as mad, sarcastic, satirical and naive as I wished. These were my letters but I wouldn’t call anybody names. I wanted them to amuse as much as they infuriated. Deep down I hoped bankers would actually read them and feel...something akin to scruples. As an artist I was already creating a series of paintings that addressed the madness—remorseful bankers, ATMs in overgrown potato fields, men who have lost their shirts and so forth. I tried to keep art and humor in the letters but did not always succeed because the anger was/is so ripe. I once even referred to the sad predicament of the great satirist Tom Lehrer. Interviewed on radio he was asked why he was not still writing his songs and, to paraphrase poorly he replied that it wasn’t funny anymore.
I was prompted to write this letter to you in response to your OPED column today wherein you apologized for name calling. There has to be a way of bringing up short those who do in effect hold a country hostage because of their entrenched ideals. Perhaps instead of calling them terrorists we need to refer to their actions as, I don’t know—terroristic? Give a name to their actions not to them as individuals.
On a further note thank you for your column that begins to fill a hole that was left by the great Frank Rich.
Sincerely,
Russell Christian
Innumerate artist and blogger
http://thebouncybanker,blogspot.com
Dear Mr. Nocera,
I’ve been writing a blog these past few years that was begun in response to the financial meltdown, and motivated by the indignation I felt. Despite efforts to clamp down on personal debt one encountered new fee structures and or/rules that constantly cancelled out any gains one had made in knocking it down. This prompted me to write a series of letters to The Bouncy Banker, a fictional bank manager, sometimes also referred to as Mr. Bullrider, or the BM. I honestly felt I was being “Screwed” on every front by the financial institutions I dealt with, but when I say “screwed” that really is as rude as this letter gets. The letters had rules: I emphasized finding the place where I could be as rude as possible, as mad, sarcastic, satirical and naive as I wished. These were my letters but I wouldn’t call anybody names. I wanted them to amuse as much as they infuriated. Deep down I hoped bankers would actually read them and feel...something akin to scruples. As an artist I was already creating a series of paintings that addressed the madness—remorseful bankers, ATMs in overgrown potato fields, men who have lost their shirts and so forth. I tried to keep art and humor in the letters but did not always succeed because the anger was/is so ripe. I once even referred to the sad predicament of the great satirist Tom Lehrer. Interviewed on radio he was asked why he was not still writing his songs and, to paraphrase poorly he replied that it wasn’t funny anymore.
I was prompted to write this letter to you in response to your OPED column today wherein you apologized for name calling. There has to be a way of bringing up short those who do in effect hold a country hostage because of their entrenched ideals. Perhaps instead of calling them terrorists we need to refer to their actions as, I don’t know—terroristic? Give a name to their actions not to them as individuals.
On a further note thank you for your column that begins to fill a hole that was left by the great Frank Rich.
Sincerely,
Russell Christian
Innumerate artist and blogger
http://thebouncybanker,blogspot.com
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