Now and then there’s a story or item that brings a nearly violent response from a small subset of readers. Even though they are usually represent a very small minority of my readers, I’ll often publish such letters. Why?
Obliviots/Idiots
Should Readers be Exempt?
My conversational style brings lots of response from readers. Usually, that response is intelligent, thoughtful, and sometimes even very entertaining. Now and then, the response is stupid, ill-thought-out, and sometimes even very entertaining. While I obviously love the first kind, it’s a lot more fun to deal with the second type.
Story Subject Demands Deletion
For the first time in years, someone featured in a This is True story has complained about it.
It took Samuel Saraiva nine years(!) to learn about the story where he’s featured and call me on the phone with the complaint.
Tattooed & Screwed
Each month, Premium subscribers get an extra story without a tagline, which they’re invited to supply — otherwise known as the monthly Tagline Challenge.
Make a Run For the Border
You’ll no doubt have questions after reading the story and seeing the photo, from the 5 December 2004 issue.
Dick Ebersol’s Plane Crash
You may have heard about the plane crash last weekend (November 28, 2004) in Montrose, Colorado, mainly because a “celebrity” was aboard (NBC Sports head Dick Ebersol; his wife is actress Susan Saint James).
Proof I’m a Stinking Liberal?
Ronald Reagan died last week. I didn’t happen to mention that fact in last Friday’s free edition — which “naturally” brought a grumpy complaint from Jeffrey in Florida:
A Failure to Grasp Reality
You know I write about idiots every week, but it’s not all that often that I have to actually deal with them one on one, in real time. But I had one today. My “other” publication, as you probably know, is the True Stella Awards, which details real-but-stupid lawsuits.
Home Schooling Looks Better Every Day
Sometimes I write taglines with the intention of provoking readers a bit, but usually they don’t rise to the bait. Other times, I’m astounded at what does trigger complaints. A good example of the latter is this story from the 15 February 2004 issue:
Politics is a Dirty Business
In the 25 August 2002 newsletter, there was a paid ad for an anti-Bush bumper sticker. The ad’s headline: There’s Dirt Under Every Bu$h. That led to (ahem) several reader letters:
Diamond Girl
The following story is pretty good. What happened after could only happen in the Twilight Zone of the Internet.
Not Just Dumb, But Hella Dumb
When reviewing the logs for my autoresponders I sometimes find people arguing with them, even though the messages they get clearly say that they are an automatic response to the email they sent. I thought you’d like to see an example.
Grasp Of The Obvious
Email makes it easy to complain. Too easy. I find people will literally complain about anything they see online.
Idiots, or Not Idiots — That is the Question
I got this most interesting letter from a reader:
Why oh Why2K?
or, Ponderings on the New Millennium
“I would like to take you seriously, but to do so would affront your intelligence.” –William F. Buckley, conservative newspaper columnist.
It all started as a bit of musing in my author’s note in the first issue of the year 2000. Then, the more comments from readers I published, the more they streamed in. Let’s recap. In the issue published 7 January 2000, I pondered:
Fun Mail, Funny Male
While I’m not always able to reply to email, I love getting comments from readers — I do personally read them all. I even appreciate the bad stuff. I prefer the fun stuff, of course, but even rants can be useful. Here’s one of each type, so you get the idea:
Virtual Friends
I was chuffed (as one of my Australian subscribers would put it) this weekend to meet another early online publisher, Cathie Walker, formerly the Head Honcho of the Centre for the Easily Amused web site (later SillyBuddies.com), who was in Denver briefly on business from her home in Canada.