TO THE EDITOR
DIVERSITY ISN’T
PICTURE PERFECT
As a minority, perhaps I viewed
Hustle & Flow with a different per-
spective than the majority population.
I saw a moving film about torment,
disappointment and desperation. I
was deeply offended by the insensitiv-
ity of some of the comments made by
Debra Merskin (3/30) who felt that
the movie glorified “pimpness.” I
don’t recall Terrence Howard, in
Hustle and Flow, wearing fur coats or
feathered hats or lots of diamonds?
What I saw in this film was that
these men, pimps, are human beings,
who feel, who hurt, who have shame
and anger. Yes, there are pimps who
intimidate, who threaten, who use vi-
olence and abuse the innocence of
children, but I don’t think the
American public is so naive as to be-
lieve that pimps are the only men in
our society guilty of this crime.
The author offends me when she
comments that the roles thought of
when considering African American
actors include “gang member, con-
vict, hip-hop/rap singer,” period!
When I think about the roles my peers
have played, I think of Don Cheadle
in Hotel Rwanda, I think of Whoopi
Goldberg in The Color Purple and
Jumpin’ Jack Flash, I think of Eddie
Murphy in 48 Hours, I think of
Djimon Hounsou in Aamistad and In
America, I think of Richard Pryor in
The Toy, I think of Halle Berry in
Their Eyes Were Watching God, I
think of Denzel Washington in
Philadelphia, and I could go on. It is
middle class white Americans who
only see the “gang member, convict,
hip-hop/rap singer,” we minorities
recognize something more.
I do believe her intentions were to
express distress about the continuing
problems of stereotyping in
Hollywood and to highlight the
wrongs within society concerning
prostitution. However, I think what
she has done is to make casual com-
ments that actually further perpetuate
the problem of stereotyping. It is easy
to do in the pseudo-liberal climate of
Eugene where the African-American
population hovers right around 1 per-
cent. It is easy as a society to say you
are open to differences when there
aren’t many differences to deal with.
The Oscar-winning song is meant
to reflect one man and his situation. I
think most people are smart enough to
understand the difference between the
story of one man and a song about his
situation, and a story about a group of
people and a song that represents that
group as a whole.
I am proud as a woman of color
anytime any minority wins an award
of such stature. I am proud that there
are men and women out there who are
brave enough to tell stories and sing
songs that people may be uncomfort-
able dealing with. Isn’t that how real
change occurs? With discomfort? I
don’t know, may be it’s just me?
Jinny McKenzie
Eugene
4 APRIL 13, 2006
DREAM WEAVER
At 3 this morning I awoke from a dream
so interesting that I had to get up and write it
down before I could sleep. A news commen-
tator, perhaps in the spirit of Charles Osgood,
was saying that a major corporation was
going to use a billion or so dollars it had
gained from some recent sale to make a pur-
chase that would, in effect, extend civiliza-
tion’s lease on existence for a little longer. As
I awoke it occurred to me, with a bit of further
interpretation, that the error was the percep-
tion of dependence on, and viability of, rigid
exchanges of money within the corporate net-
work to keep us going, rather than confidence
in the more flexible altruism, cooperation and
synergy. Of course it was just a dream.
Dan Robinson
Eugene
FORCED VACATIONS
I want to give a heartfelt thank you to EW
for the “Pitchfork Rebellion” article (3/16)
and the new toxic spray notification listing. It
couldn’t be more timely for us, because
Seneca just completed a large clearcut a quar-
ter mile from our house.
They have a history of some of the worst
forest practices; this particular clearcut is
steep, raw and completely denuded. Steep
cuts are more likely to have aerial herbicide
applications than “ground” (i.e. backpack)
treatment, resulting in certain spray drift to
neighboring land. Seneca is not required to
notify nearby residents. With contacts from
your article I signed up for the ODF subscrip-
tion notification listing. Lynn Bowers, a local
no-spray activist, was very helpful about this
process.
At least with this notification process we
can inform our neighbors and we can all take
forced vacations around the time of the spray
dates. I just wish we could send Seneca the
hotel bill!
Cathy Boucher
Rural Eugene
BLOWING SMOKE
In her recent (3/30) letter, Deb
McManman states, “I do not pass judgement
on EW for advertising American Spirit, I ap-
plaud them for it!”
FYI: On July 30, 2004, following ap-
proval by shareholders of R.J. Reynolds
Tobacco Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: RJR),
Reynolds American Inc. (NYSE: RAI) be-
came the new, direct parent company of RJR
(which owns all of the stock of R.J. Reynolds
Tobacco Company), and Santa Fe Natural
Tobacco Company, Inc.
R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company, the sec-
ond-largest U.S. cigarette manufacturer,
manufactures about one of every three ciga-
rettes sold in the U.S., including five of the
nation’s 10 best-selling cigarette brands:
Camel, Winston, Kool, Salem and Doral.
No applause from here.
Pat Hadley
Eugene
CANCER CURE
My recovery from a second bout with
breast cancer depended
solely on organic foods
and supplements that I
purchased from local
health food stores. I
would not trust my con-
tinued good health to a
Texas corporation that
trucks food in from dis-
tant places.
My first experience
with breast cancer was in
1986 when I had a
lumpectomy, chemother-
apy and radiation treat-
ments. Chemotherapy
was not difficult, but I be-
came very ill with radia-
tion pneumonia and was
hospitalized for weeks.
My recovery was very
slow but I regained my
health.
For eight years after
that I was a strict vegetar-
ian but slowly began to
eat what might be called
the regular American diet.
I lived in fear of having
breast cancer again. In 1996 my husband died
within 48 hours of a bone marrow transplant
for leukemia. My reservations about tradi-
tional treatments grew.
In 2003, I noticed an indentation in my
right breast — the same breast. A needle
biopsy gave me the dreaded news that it was
again cancer. I was 61 years old and decided
to do no medical treatments.
My daughter convinced me to start a mac-
robiotic diet. I tried to follow the diet strictly
and ate no meat, cheese or eggs. Every day I
tried to eat organic short grain brown rice,
cabbage, cauliflower, carrots, mushrooms
and wakami seaweed. Within approximately
three months the lump was almost gone.
At that point I became aware of alterna-
tive cancer treatment programs in Reno, Nev.
I participated in their three-day program and
have continued the supplements they recom-
mend. I have continued macrobiotic foods
but I do drink decaffeinated coffee. It is im-
portant to note that regular coffee is not rec-
ommended.
It is now close to two-and-a-half years
since my diagnosis. I feel good and have no
indications of cancer.
Good health is too important to gamble
on. Why risk the questionable purity and nu-
trition of something else from Texas?
Charlotte Higgins-Lee, Ph.D.
Springfield
CRITICALLY LACKING
On March 31, my family and I went to
Critical Mass. We used to attend Critical
Mass in Berkeley and it was a party. We
wanted to come and do our part to support
visible action toward raising awareness of the
beauty of bicycling.
We were pretty disappointed. Eugene’s
Critical Mass has received some bad press,
and that, coupled with rainy weather, resulted
in poor numbers. The police handed out post-
cards concerning moving violations. We
started out with eight bicycles and ended up
with four, all the while being followed by
four police officers on bikes and four on mo-
torcycles. Even with my two kids, we were
totally outnumbered. I felt paranoid at every