Letters for March 20, 2003
Re “Queens and their quirks” [ RN&R, Theater, March 6]:
I read with interest your review of Riverfront Theatre’s production of Love! Valour! Compassion!, but you were clueless as to the point of the play. Yes, it is a gay play because the characters are gay, but it could be a play about college roommates. And the two characters with AIDS could easily be two characters dying from cancer. Focusing on the fact that it was gay takes away from Terrence McNally’s message: We have to love each other and have valor in all those little things life throws at us. You also call the eight gay men stereotypical. Again wrong. There was nothing stereotypical about the characters, unless those stereotypes are what you believe them to be. As a reviewer, you failed. You only saw what was on the stage. You didn’t listen to the words or understand the complicated relationships that developed.
Frank “Paco” Poli
via e-mail
Blurry vision
Re “Out of focus” [RN&R, Art, Feb. 27]:
Yes, the 2O/2O art exhibit did not follow the red line of the theme. As a matter of fact, the line was blurred. But one should see the greater picture: artists having the chance to show their work while vitalizing the northern Virginia Street area and having fun. Let’s be happy that interest was created for all art media in a rather small space. Not to mention that relaxed onlookers bought some work. What more can be asked?
Hanna R. Porter
via e-mail
Can’t the Arabs get some love?
Re “Anti-Semitic story,” “Bomber blunder” and “When did we claim that?” [RN&R, Letters, March 6]:
Abdul Barghouti may or may not hate Jews. Regardless, it is clear that he doesn’t feel that hatred of Jews is justified. His feelings clearly stem from acts of violence seen through the eyes of a child, and it is clear that his own children’s ability to “know Jews as neighbors” is more desirable.
Killing is never justifiable, but is it unrealistic to show some compassion for Arabs in the Middle East? And can we please forgive someone for not correctly identifying airplanes he saw when he was only 7 years old?
Karen Decker
Reno
Stay here and fix racism
Re “Reno is a tough place to live when you’re young and black” [RN&R, Cover, Feb. 20]:
It is dispiriting to hear that there are young people in our community who would prefer not to raise a family in Reno because of palpable bias against them based on the color of their skin. I urge them to stay and help bring about change. It is sad and unfortunate that individual ethnic groups are not concerned with cultural aspects outside their own ethnicity. It is this mono-cultural perspective, together with a lack of interaction among different races, that must change. In order to break the legacy of racial prejudice, fathers and mothers must expose themselves and their minds to people whose skin is not the color of their own. It is a sometimes imperceptible and long-term progression, but the tunneled walls of generational prejudice do slowly crumble through education and interaction between ethnic groups.
Brian Bass
Reno
Suffer the taxpayers
Re “Nevada faces a turning point” [RN&R, Cover, Feb. 27]:
Dennis Myers stumps for Gov. Kenny Guinn’s tax initiatives and Nevada’s “most vulnerable citizens.” The truly vulnerable citizens of Nevada are its taxpayers. Myers and Guinn are among those who expect taxpayers to pay and pay and never complain. Myers says senior citizens are some of the heaviest users of public services. I’m a senior citizen and no government provides a “service” that I don’t pay for.
Myers thinks Nevada is not a good example to other states. Nevada is a fine example: It has no income tax and it provides adult entertainment. A government’s job is neither moralizing nor care-taking. Its only job is protecting the right of its citizens to live in freedom. Nevada has so many newcomers because it has been a “good example to the nation.” But Guinn wants Nevada to fall in line with states such as California and Massachusetts. In those states, any cause is a worthy cause so long as it is not the cause of the taxpayer and his wallet.
Joe Parks
Sparks
Correction
Re “Corrections” [RN&R, Letters, March 13]:
Due to an editor’s error, an incorrect phone number for Washoe Medical Center’s 24-hour health hotline ran. The correct phone number is 982-5757. Ouch.