1a. Four years ago, The Stranger published a cover photo of a little-known mayoral candidate named Michael McGinn. That cover photo effectively served as a campaign poster for a candidate who was struggling for attention. Many people—rightly or wrongly—attribute McGinn’s eventual win to The Stranger. Now The Stranger is doing the exact same thing with city council candidate Kshama Sawant. Given Mayor McGinn’s embarrassing polling numbers—30 percent to challenger Ed Murray’s 52 percent in a recent KING 5 poll—and poor public image, do you believe it is smart for The Stranger to “throw” all their “eggs” into one untested “basket” like this all over again? Considering how the first time played out, why do you think The Stranger would decide to pull the exact same stunt?
1b. Using your colored pencils, please illustrate The Stranger‘s credibility in whatever form you consider to be appropriate. Does The Stranger‘s credibility look like a ramshackle trailer in the middle of the woods? A tiny, misshapen third nipple on the City of Seattle’s chest? Does it resemble a mangy, unloved dog? Be creative!
1c. Alternately, if you are not confident in your drawing skills, write a short story about The Stranger‘s credibility. Does it end well, or is it more like an ambiguous, Raymond Carver–esque story about a drunken man who stares out the window a lot?
2. SPIKE FRIEDMAN contributes a story about baseball players. Why?
3. In the books section, PAUL CONSTANT, who is a white, ostensibly straight male, writes a review of a book by Peter Bagge, a white male cartoonist who has been in a heterosexual marriage for years. The book in question is about Margaret Sanger, a feminist pioneer. Were no women around The Stranger‘s offices to review the book? Wouldn’t a female perspective be valuable here? Or did Constant review the book because it is in the form of a graphic novel (colloquially, a “funny book”) and women do not read graphic novels? How much sexism do you believe is on display in this piece and the thinking behind this piece?
A. A little.
B. A lot.
C. More than a little, less than a lot.
D. Comic book reviews in a book review section are a waste of everyone’s time anyway.
4. DAVE SEGAL writes about the Decibel Festival. Again. Has Segal written about the Decibel Festival in the pages of The Stranger more or fewer times than Dan Savage has written about gay sex? Remember to show your work! 