Reader feedback 11.12.03

‘PC City‘

It was interesting and somewhat
paradoxical to read consecutive paragraphs about “People in Black” and “Guys
Fight Violence” (Metro Ink, October 22).

            The biggest perpetrators of “misogynist violence” in the
world are the Islamic countries: Sudan, which enslaves millions, literally;
Nigeria, which reluctantly bowed to world opinion and agreed not to stone a
woman to death for “adultery”; the Palestinians, who expose young children to a
continuous barrage of propaganda encouraging them to be homicide bombers;
Sierra Leone, where thousands of children of both sexes have their limbs
chopped off; the Afghani Taliban; and the late Iraqi regime, which
poison-gassed Kurdish families.

            In addition to what is happening in these Muslim or
largely Muslim countries, young girls and women are being sold into sexual
slavery and smuggled across borders in Eastern Europe. UN workers are reported to patronize various
brothels in large numbers. Maybe they should read the UNICEF brochure you
quoted.

            All these Muslim (and Eastern European) countries seem to
be generally immune from criticism by your publication. I guess it’s
politically incorrect to suggest that followers of Islam, for example, might
possibly treat women badly.

            Alan L. Glaser, Rochester

            Jack BradiganSpula responds:
It’s hard to track Glaser’s leap from two items about peace and justice to a
broadside attack on a major religion (and the UN). He must know that sexual
slavery, stoning, and punitive mutilation antedate Islam as well as its
principal antecedents, Judaism and Christianity. He must know, too, that all
three traditions have promoted misogyny and/or condemned it, depending on
circumstances, and also have co-existed with prostitution — beginning long
before UN workers allegedly increased the customer base!

            Glaser tips his hand with an odd attack on the
Palestinians. He wields a broad brush against a whole culture, and he refers to
practices that, though awful and indefensible, aren’t strictly forms of
misogynist violence. He also ignores the even greater violence Palestinians
endure under occupation; the elision mirrors what he doesn’t say about US complicity in Saddam’s crimes against the Kurds.
Similarly, Glaser ignores crucial facts about Sierra Leone — including the decisive role played there by
former Liberian dictator Charles Taylor, nominally a Baptist in a largely
Christian nation.

Hope, dashed

I had such hope for MonroeCounty before last Tuesday. I thought for sure this time the forces of racism,
small-mindedness, and self-interest would finally lose out to a real vision and
real community interest. What an opportunity we had to move forward with new
ideas for our whole community that would benefit everyone and not just the
select few.

            Instead, citizens once again voted for the right to
seclude themselves far from the problems they caused in the first place by
fleeing any responsibility to the larger community.

            To anyone passing through, MonroeCounty looks like a lovely place to live, but if one stays for any length of
time, one begins to realize that selfish and mean-spirited behavior pretty much
prevail. How sad for all of us.

            Disappointed in Monroe County,

            Sheridan L. Wilson,
Bond Street, Rochester

Find solutions

I was appalled at the Maggie
Brooks’ “Pac-Man” TV commercial that asked of Bill Johnson, “Does he want all
our schools to perform like city schools?”

            It is mind-boggling that someone running for elected
office at the county level would so blatantly disparage the schools — and by
extension, the students, parents, employees, and neighbors of those schools —
of an area that makes up one-third of her jurisdiction. It’s as if Brooks
believes the city isn’t part of the county.

            There is no denying that Rochester schools have far to go in improving student
performance. There are also, however, many dedicated people working in those
schools to make them successful, and many awe-inspiring students who, like
their suburban counterparts, go on to some of the top colleges in the nation.

            Brooks’ approach to this issue seems to be no approach at
all: “Let’s keep away from those city schools!” Well, guess what? City students
are as much the future of our county’s workforce, consumer base, and citizenry
as suburban students.

            Rather than taking an “us or them” attitude, we should
work to ensure that all MonroeCounty children receive a high-quality education in their own neighborhoods.
That means finding solutions to, rather than avoiding, a problem that confronts
us all.

            Tom Petronio, John Jay
Drive, Rochester

Stopping the music

Many thanks should go to the
management of WRUR for having the good sense to bring the Sunday jazz
programming back; the deletion of the jazz staff’s shows over the summer to
make room for syndicated programs was a mistake. Most of the “upwardly
mobile” demographic that NPR programming targets can afford a computer
with a broadband internet connection and should have had no problem getting
their fix of “Whad’Ya Know!” via streaming audio.

            One irritating WXXI-related issue still does remain,
though: There is apparently an automated relay arrangement between WXXI and
WRUR which periodically interrupts WRUR programming and inserts the WXXI-AM
signal, presumably for hourly NPR news. Trouble is, this relay is shoddily
managed, and even interrupts the programming when news isn’t being broadcast on
the hour.

            A particularly embarrassing incident resulted this
previous Sunday, October 26. The Rev. John Walker (akaTalik Abdul-Bashir) was in
the midst of his weekly broadcast of “Black Classical Music” when his show was pre-empted
by Harry Shearer’s “Le Show,” in the midst of a very Bob & Ray sounding
skit. This was followed by a short burst of (“non-black”?) classical
music, and then dead air.

            Rev. Walker opened the microphone, expressing
consternation at the demons who had apparently taken control of the radio
station. He then dropped the needle on another record and continued his show
until the midnight hour, when the programming once again was
interrupted by the relay. After the relay switch returned control back to WRUR,
the station signal shut off altogether, leaving nothing but static; we can only
assume that Rev. Walker left the radio station in disgust.

            Indeed, one should ask what sort of demons WRUR has been
inflicted with. The management of both radio stations (if there are still two
separate managing bodies) should fix this issue, or WRUR should perform an
exorcism. (Rev. Walker: Keep the faith; at least one of your listeners is
pulling for you!)

            Dave Duncan, Valley
Brook Drive, Fairport

The sound of pipes

I wonder in what context
Christopher Seaman made his remark about electronic organs being better than
pipe organs (“Super Pipes,” John Brostrup, The Mail,
October 29). Was it the Saturday that organist Matt Curlee
soloed with the RPO in Barber and Saint-Saens? See,
that’s not fair, because Matt Curlee can make
anything sound good.

            What invites concern, though, is that such talk puts the
Maestro directly at odds with the Eastman Rochester Organ Initiative, which has
every intention of eventually getting a good, large, intelligently-placed pipe
organ into the Eastman Theatre.

            I am blessed to play, weekly, a beautifully designed,
versatile pipe organ which is entering its 35th year in the prime of life. Yes,
it gets tuned three times annually. But by the age of 35 an electronic would
either have blown up or been rendered obsolete by design advances.

            Does that mean electronics are better than ever? Yes. But
they just don’t have the presence — particularly in a large hall — that
live, wind-driven sound has. For evidence: the renewed interest and subsequent
pipe-organ installations (or renovations) in the big concert halls of Philly,
LA, Cleveland, and Jacksonville. Mr. Curlee inaugurated
that last one. Ask him!

            Bruce Beardsley, Modelane, Rochester

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This article appears in Nov 12-18, 2003.