A reader writes:
Eli Sanders castigates Sarah Jeglum of the UW Daily for her “complete misunderstanding of the role of a newspaper editor.” This sort of commentary can only be read as comical, printed as it is in The Stranger. I have lived all over the country and in several other parts of the world, and think of The Stranger as, bar none, the most pathetic, uninspired, uninformed, polemic, snivelingly contemptuous rag I’ve ever laid hands on. (This includes corporate-sponsored product-comparison hotsheets like Louisville’s “Velocity”.)
Sanders and I agree: the role of a good free press is to “encourage informed debate”. It’s a pity that we live in Stranger territory, where discussions are reducible to diatribes, and if you disagree, you’re an asshole. Any attentive reader has noticed the paper’s general refusal to print calm, principled criticism of itself, or quiet corrections to its misinformation, or reasoned rebuttals to its illogical tirades. To get printed, one has to be as acrimonious and caustic as the paper itself, and generally willing to curse and call names (as I do here, after years of more reasonable letters which were duly ignored). This, of course, has the effect of further polarizing already-hysterical public debate, and places The Stranger among the lofty ranks of Fox and company. But it’s great for circulation!
And hey, perhaps The Stranger’s staff believe they are “encouraging informed debate” when (‘Last Days’) they print gleeful send-ups of people performing acts of hygiene in public places. Homelessness and mental illness are hilarious; the debate is rich narcissists versus everyone else. And The Stranger keeps winning, and Seattle keeps losing.
-R. Lamberth
I honesty would say that The Stranger is exactly the opposite; I would pay for a subscription to it if I had to. You guys do great work!
Sounds to me like somebody is just a little bit cranky they lost their Strangercrombie auction item…
While I question the wisdom of keeping certain Stranger writers on the payroll, I have to disagree with the writer of this letter. The Stranger is far above any similar weekly newspaper I’ve come across and Seattle is better off for it. Thank you!
He’s been sending these letters for years? I think he needs a new hobby.
Hmm. Sounds like someone needs to start their own damn paper.
Yup…that about sums it up.
I’d have to agree that the paper has taken a horrible downturn since I first moved here in 96, with the exception of Charles Mudede. It’s become an elitist organization that doesn’t deserve public funding.
What, did your art show get a bad review or something?
The Stranger is too caustic and juvenile sometimes, but they also cover serious things like city politics better than anyone else. In any case, I’ll take a little acrimony over the bland mealy porridge pumped out by the dailies.
I read both, and I prefer the Stranger.
Even if it’s hard to find it on my chair after they turn out all the lights in the UW Tower promptly at 5 pm, even though we in the research floors tend to work way past 6 pm … and sometimes 9 or 10 pm …
I think the real news here is that “polemic” is suddenly, and inexplicably, an adjective.
This guy is obviously trying to put himself in line for the Public Editor position, should Mr. Steen walk out again.
I don’t understand people who loathe the quality of something, yet continue to support it. It’s like buying a toaster that shocks you every time you use it, yet you continue to use it.
R.Lamberth needs to get themselves a new toaster and stop reading The Stranger.
I fully agree with every word. Thank you for finally addressing the very large elephant in the very small room. Frankly, the Stranger is pretty worthless.
This city has an abundance of alleyways where our homeless can groom themselves in (relative) privacy. Grooming out in the open in front of horrified onlookers is unacceptable and worthy of mockery, no matter who you are.
Michael, some people LIKE being shocked by their toasters. Our boy R. Lamberth here wouldn’t have it any other way.
The Stranger is worthless. That’s why I read it every week and comment on Slog posts.
I like The Stranger very much but some of the comments by R. Lamberth do ring true. This letters’ opinions were definitely aided by being placed right below the Mr. Rogers video. Having one of the most sweet and sincere people ever next to this letter does help to call to mind some of the unfair, illogical, and cynical opinions and arguments that the Stranger can make.
As far as gay rags go, it’s the best option we have in Seattle… but that’s not saying much.
You guys never should have enabled comments on articles. Between this and the “mainstream/alt” business in LineOut I think that too much reader feedback is getting to you.
I haven’t seen a better alt weekly than the Stranger. The two we have in SF are unreadable.
The Stranger is for gay white Seattle liberal negro-lovers.
The Stranger is like Fox? Fox is a multi-national corporate enterprise that is viewed by probably close to a billion people every day. The Stranger may not even hit 100,000 on the best day of their lives and they’re probably around 95% from Seattle.
If you don’t like The Stranger you don’t have to read it, we have several other shitty papers that will gladly take your business, I’d rather go with a paper that is mostly user-generated content that sucks than a controlled media that is so so.
The Stranger is the best. I don’t read bigoted garbage unless it recognizes itself as bigoted garbage. When bigoted garbage thinks it is serious criticism, in the dumpster it goes. And so goes The Daily, in the dumpster!
Nobody reads The Stranger, it’s too popular.
At least The Stranger (for the most part) uses full sentences! That makes it readable unlike all the other garbage published in this city.
As a caustic asshole who’s angry letters are often published, I take issue with the submitter’s assertions. Without ECB to complain about, I might as well go volunteer to be Nickels’ piss boy. Plus, the Stranger burns well, and it’s free.
My only current complaint – what the hell happened to Troubletown?
I think they outsourced it, wb.
Actually, The Stranger is for gay white Seattle liberals who like the idea of negroes but find the reality disgusting.
I kind of like the way he signed it.
There are not nearly enough articles about gay buttfucking in the Stranger. Print at least ten a day. The current average count of three to five buttfucking articles a day just is not cutting it.
@ 7 — The Stranger doesn’t get any public funding.
Everyday someone here, either a writer or a commenter, writes something completely opposite of the way I feel, and usually we can have a rational conversation with opposing views. Sometimes I think more than half the people just make a comment without reading any of the proceeding posts (I am often guilty of this).
I view the Stranger like I view the American style of Democracy. “It’s not perfect but it’s the best we got.”
He says “acrimonius and caustic” like it’s a bad thing.
I don’t know. I kinda like the lil ole Stranger. It has a personality all its own. I am not interested in every single article, but I like it, the Slog especially. Of course, the fat hating makes me mad, but meh, fat hate is everywhere. I figure the only way I can make a dent in that crap is by sticking my big ole fat butt into the mess now and then. The UW Daily scandal just shows how lame the Daily is…like a lot of college papers frankly, where a lot of editors think they are just a diploma away from being the next gift to journalism and surely they will be the youngest to get a Pulitzer. WHATEVER! And, yah, if that guy hates the Stranger so much, why does he even bother with it!?! Doy! Dingleberry, get a clue!
two stranger covers i saved: dina martina as the virgin mary, incubating a turkey; and the frat-boy projectile-vomiter. the latter was hung on my kitchen wall, above the stove. those were about what, holy fuck, ten years ago? i still feel a glow when i remember… and that is why i still dig y’all and why, comparatively, the weekly is a fucking embarrassment.
one thing, though: the food section in the weekly is far better. get another min lao-caliber writer, please. i don’t need another toss-off about the best fucking taco truck.
thank you.
i like tacos