Uncomfortably Austrian

Dear Lindy: I just had to write and tell you how much I enjoyed your column on your "unasked-for" name change [Concessions, June 19]. It was really well written and poignant.

I'm married to an Austrian, and believe me things are still "uncomfortably Austrian," as you put it. The names and the accents still wield a lot of power and disturbing images.

My parents and grandparents have died, so I felt I understood the depth of your father's comment, "That's definitely Mother." You have given him a tremendous gift, and I would recommend framing your article for him (if he's that kind of a guy).

You're a great writer! Keep writing! I'm a 51-year-old teacher, so I guess I'm supposed to know about those things by now.

All the best to you in your career.

Jan Jolley

The Living Truth

To Annie WagnerR: I read your review of Drew Emery's film, Inlaws & Outlaws [www.thestranger.com]. I'm a straight woman who has a reason to want adults to know about the reality of being gay. If more people will recognize gayness, and accept it, then young men will not think they have to live a false life and marry a heterosexual.

This happened to me. I went to Seattle Pacific University (College back then) and I fell in love with a guy I met there. He was gay. We lived his secret for 30 years! He was in therapy for seven years, trying to change his orientation. Ha! How could that happen????

Anyway, I'm sorry you dissed the movie so badly. I, myself, don't care if part of it was filmed in a garage. It was a big step in getting bigoted people to accept gays who shouldn't have to live a lie for 30 years, and then die. (My husband did not have AIDS, but he did die of lymphoma at 59. His body could not take the strain anymore.)

The stories of everyone's sweet, sincere love made me sad that my husband didn't have a chance to live his truth.

Madeline B.

Fuck those Cocksucking Asshole Commentators on the Motherfucking Slog

To Whom it May Concern: I want to start by saying that I love The Stranger. It truly is the best newspaper in Seattle, and I look forward to it every week. When you launched Slog on your website, I was thrilled. It was like a dose of The Stranger every day of the week.

Then I made the mistake of reading the comments section on one of the Slog posts. I have seldom seen a more ignorant, hate-filled miasma of crap in my life. I'm on the internet a lot; I've seen some pretty messed-up stuff out there, and the Slog comments are in the top five. Many of the Slog commenters are misogynistic, homophobic, and lash out violently with death threats when accused of being such.

"Hey, it's all in fun! Don't read it if you don't want to read it." That seems to be the prevailing attitude of both the Slog commenters and of The Stranger in regards to this issue. When you publish articles condemning misogyny and then organize social events for people telling your female writers to go kill themselves, it's tough to believe your job is not just to cash in on human misery while pretending to care. You run what appears on the surface to be a wonderfully progressive and intelligent newspaper, but your tacit endorsement of the ugliness in the Slog comments makes you look incredibly hypocritical, or shockingly ignorant of what's happening on your website.

In closing, I apologize for not signing my real name to this post, but I am not afraid to admit that I genuinely fear your commenters. They have threatened to kill people they don't like, and I don't want to die at the hands of your Stranger-endorsed band of sociopaths.

John Doe

A Concerned Reader

Feeding Frenzy

To the Editor: Who are the people who review restaurants for you? This is the second time I took their advice and was just amazed at how far off the reviews were. First was Marco's Supper Club, "intimate spot with bistro comfort food." You might as well go throw $150 dollars at the waitstaff and leave immediately for Dick's. The second suggestion was an "authentic little Mexican joint" in Greenwood. Nice family-run place with the worst Mexican food I have had in Seattle next to Azteca. Being a professional chef for 30 years, I might be a bit picky, but these places sucked. Anyone know anything about food at your paper? Paleeze, get someone who knows what the hell good food really tastes like.

John Sarich

Correction: In a recent In the Hall column, Sakara Remmu was identified as the executive director of the King County Alliance for Human Services. In fact, she is a staffer for the Alliance. The Stranger regrets the error and the passive voice in which corrections like this are typically written.