I'm so pleased. I've received more hate mail. The strange thing is, over the last year, I've only received two pieces of hate mail regarding my column, and they both come from the illustrious Judy Brezina of Carlton, Washington.
Before I begin, may I ask you a question? Do you even read what is written for your paper much less edit it?
With that in your mind lets walk through this.
Ms. Wright cheerfully informs us that her breasts are fine enough to get instant attention at bars, lusty comments from her husband and a get home free pass from cops. Oh yeah, she briefly mentions suckling in there somewhere in passing. To objectify your breasts defeats in one fell swoop what women have been fighting for the past century.
She then dissolves into tears, and stays there, upon finding something amiss with the before mentioned mighty fine breasts. I ask, how can you teach your children to be strong and think through a process if you collapse at the mere thought of disease? For Pete’s sake, in the future, get a grip.
But the corker was at the end of the article (and I use this term for that written piece very, very loosely). When given the choice of giving up coffee, Oh gasp, she blithely bids the doctor “to cut them off.”
With absolutely no regard to the millions of women who have had to endure the pain and suffering of losing their breasts to cancer, she manages to trivialize and insult them all in one breath.
Great going there Bozo, Gonzo, whatever, its one in the same.
Judy Brezina Carlton
What do you think, readers? Is The Gonzo Mama an affront to women? Do you think The Gonzo Mama has let her fellow women down by not being a shining beacon of strength and the poster girl (I mean, woman) for women's rights?
Please send an email to my editor, Les Bowen, and tell him what you think! Photo credit:
Someone named Judy Brezina of Carlton, Washington thinks I have no business calling myself a writer. She said as much in her May 14, 2009 letter to the editor of the Lake Chelan Mirror.
I have more than enough publishing credits to claim otherwise, but to each her own opinion. Speaking of which, a Google for “Judy Brezina” revealed a pretty impressive list of publishing credits for her, as well. Of course, they were all enraged letters to the editors of various newspapers, but I’m no snob. They totally count! Perhaps Ms. Brezina should write her own column, although satire and humor are clearly not her strong points.
For those not possessing the extensive vocabulary that Brezina does (“imbecilic,” “ignorant” and “insensitive” are all pretty big words, and nicely alliterative, to boot), the word “satire” is defined by Merriam-Webster’s (Brezina’s dictionary of choice) as: 1: a literary work holding up human vices and follies to ridicule or scorn; 2: trenchant wit, irony, or sarcasm used to expose and discredit vice or folly.
Did my column on Guantanamo Bay and bikinis not hold up the human vice of vanity and the follies of the detainee situation to a high enough standard of ridicule, Ms. Brezina?
Let’s take a look at the “gonzo” definition Brezina plucked from Merriam-Webster’s: 1: idiosyncratically subjective but engagé; 2: bizarre; 3: freewheeling or unconventional especially to the point of outrageousness. Brezina asserts that The Gonzo Mama column fits only the “bizarre” definition. I say she’s not giving me enough credit for living up to my name.
1. “Engagé” sent my spell-check feature into fits. I went back to Merriam-Webster.com to make sure I’d spelled it correctly and—I must admit—to get a proper definition. Ironically, Merriam-Webster failed to locate a definition. Dictionary.com, however, gave me this: (adj.) actively committed, as to a political cause.
What’s my cause? Drawing attention to human rights issues. Denouncing the laissez faire attitude of those who think the activities at Gitmo are of no concern. Shining a spotlight on societal standards which pressure women to fit an unrealistic ideal. It’s all in my piece, and it’s too bad Brezina lacks an appreciation for the satirical delivery. Make no mistake – I am serious about human rights. I don’t wear diamonds. I seek out fair trade companies. I cried when Converse was acquired by Nike, and I’m holding on to my circa 1990 Chuck Taylors until they disintegrate.
2. “Bizarre?” I plead no contest.
3. “Freewheeling or unconventional… to the point of outrageousness.” Excuse me, Ms. Brezina—are you not outraged?
Perhaps it’s inaccurate to say Ms. Brezina suggested I should be sterilized, but that’s the implication I took from her statement “…we should be extremely careful about overpopulation. Ms. Wright seems to be very proud of her ability to procreate. Personally, I don't think it's such a hot commodity. That's why God gave us the brains to control ourselves.”
Of all the barbs contained in Ms. Brezina’s letter, that particular statement incited the fiercest responses from The Gonzo Mama’s fans. The supportive replies flooded my inbox, popped up on Facebook, and planted themselves on both TheGonzoMama.com and LakeChelanMirror.com.
Most leaving comments denouncing Brezina’s letter are people who actually read my column – a credential Brezina herself clearly cannot claim. That’s why my regular readers were able to cry foul on her statement: They know that I gave birth to only one child.
I am, in fact, very proud of my ability to “procreate.” That is, the ability that allowed me to birth my son almost fifteen years ago. I’m proud, too, of surviving cervical cancer and other health issues that make my birthing another child a medical improbability. Does Ms. Brezina mean to vilify me for producing a single child?
I am equally proud of my four stepchildren, to whom I have been the full-time mother for about nine years. Ms. Brezina, do you begrudge those four children the benefit of a consistent mother? Should I have refused to marry their father—who had a vasectomy even before we met—because it would make me the mother of five children and subject to snide comments about “overpopulation?”
Know what else I am proud of? I am proud of my two youngest children; two beautiful little girls with special needs that we are adopting through the Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS).
Come to think of it, a certain level of population control could arise from the abolition of DSHS. With DSHS no longer in the picture, children would remain in homes where they were subjected to abuse and neglect, and we’d see a rise in child death rates as a result. Is this what you were getting at, Ms. Brezina? Should I stop adopting children who have been removed from dangerous homes? Am I failing to do my part for population control because I provide a safe, loving home for children who don’t have one?
I suppose you’re right, though, Judy. God actually didn’t give me the brains to control myself. When a child needs a mother, I just can’t seem to say, “No.”
Frankly, I think striving to give children a better life IS a pretty hot commodity.
Even with the heartache of Princess moving for the summer, it was great to be surrounded by loving friends and forgetting all about feeling sorry for myself for a while.
Today, I am grateful for:
1. Good friends! My talented mama-in-crime, Corbin Lewars, rented a house in my 'hood on the Columbia River, and we got to visit for a bit on Friday night and Saturday morning. I'd tried to con her into appearing on XRadio with me, but she withstood my bullying and declined, using the very valid reason of being on vacation. It was great to see Corbin and meet her sister. Check out Corbin's zine, Reality Mom... It doesn't get any better.
Left to right, that's Mr. Wright, Teri's friend (Shaun Greer), the Divine Miss Teri B herself, The Gonzo Mama, Doug and Lael (owners and winemakers). I actually stole this pic right off Shaun's SD card at the party. Oh, how I love having a netbook that fits into my purse!
Also present, but missing from the photo, was Samantha G., one of our favorite girls and best friend to Miss Teri. We adore Sam's gorgeous smile and infectious sense of humor!
We had awesome wine and good company at the winery, then headed to Seattle's Capitol Hill neighborhood for drinks and dancing. We landed at R Place, just in time for the Lashes Cabaret, hosted by Madame Chablis (who is a dead ringer for Eartha Kitt in latex, if you ask me). I do have some video, but it's on Mr. Wright's phone and he's at work. I'll try to fetch it later.
Driving home in the wee hours of Sunday morning was no easy feat, but we made it home by 7:30 a.m. - just in time to get ready for church! Good thing, too, because we had much to repent for after our night of debauchery.... just kidding.
After church we attended a housewarming for our friends, Doug and Mary Sandvick. Doug is the director of the Historic Downtown Chelan Association. They have two kiddos that fall close in age to a couple of our kids (we pretty well have the whole age range, right?), and are about the nicest couple you'd ever want to know. Congrats to them on their new digs!
2. Good (vegan) wine! One of the things that I love about Edmonds Winery (I swear, this is NOT a sponsored post) is that they use benzonite finings, instead of isinglass, dairy components or egg whites. That means I can drink any of their wines - even whites! - and know that they are suitable for my vegan diet.
3. Great readers! After my response to my hate mail ran in the Lake Chelan Mirror last week, I had a flood of telephone calls, emails, Facebook messages and random people stopping me in the street to say, "Nicely done!" I'll be posting said response tomorrow.
Bad Gratitude Monday comes a day late this week, as I spent my actual Monday being quietly grateful for sleep, after traversing the country and arriving home at 5 a.m. Poor Mr. Wright didn't have the luxury of sleeping in, but I'm sure he was grateful for something.
As I mentioned on Bad Gratitude Monday, The Gonzo Mama received her very first hate mail, cementing her place in the world of real columnists.
For those not lucky enough to live in the distribution area of the Lake Chelan Mirror, I'm posting the letter, in all its glory. The letter came from Judy Brezina of Carlton, Washington, and was written in response to my piece, "Forget Gitmo... I've Been Bikini Shopping."
Wright is wrong
Dear Editor,
I just received my Mirror in the mail today. I came to the letters page fully expecting there to be at least several letters referring to Ms. Wright’s incredibly ignorant, insensitive article last week. I didn’t write because I felt the bases were covered. It seems the bases are open so I’ll step up to the plate.
I’m not sure who to blame on this one, Ms. Wright or the editor. That was the most imbecilic article I have ever read, bar none. How can any sane person compare being held prisoner against every right we hold dear and tortured on a daily basis to trying on swimsuits? I want to ask very clearly, what were you thinking? Or were either of the above mentioned people even thinking at all? The article that Ms. Wright tried to be ever so clever writing actually made me sick to my stomach. What on God’s green earth ever lead you to believe you were a writer? Why did the editor let it pass? The piece is unacceptable. Period.
I looked up the word Gonzo: 1. idiosyncratically subjective but engagé; 2. bizarre; 3. freewheeling or unconventional especially to the point of outrageousness.
So, let me understand this. Gonzo Mama? Well, at least the bizarre part fits. Oh, and since I’m here and fired up, there are many people, myself included, that believe we should be extremely careful about overpopulation. Ms. Wright seems to be very proud of her ability to procreate. Personally, I don’t think it’s such a hot commodity. That’s why God gave us the brains to control ourselves.
Judy Brezina Carlton
What do you think? Do you agree that I am a talentless imbecile? Should my editor be fired for printing my piece? Should I be sterilized? (Oops. Too late. She obviously doesn't read my column, or she'd know I only gave birth to one of my seven kids and can't have any more.)
You may respond to Ms. Brezina's letter online here or send an email to the clueless editor who posts my drivel, Les Bowen, at editor@lakechelanmirror.com.
Bad Gratitude Monday comes this week from Washington, D.C. during our annual trip for the National Association of REALTORS Mid-Year meeting!
I have a lot to be grateful for today!
1. Our plane landed safely! 2.Our suite is beautiful! 3. I know I've finally arrived as a print columnist, because my editor called today to inform me that I received my first piece of hate mail!
The writer basically said I have no writing skills, I'm not funny, and I should be sterilized! Actually, she said I seemed pretty proud of my ability to procreate, that overpopulation was a problem, and "That’s why God gave us the brains to control ourselves."
Hmmm... does anyone else think that this brainy control fanatic has never read The Gonzo Mama before? I mean, if she had, surely she would know that I gave birth to one child (would she begrudge me that?), am the mother to four stepchildren who have a largely unavailable biological mother, and am the adoptive mom to two babies whose parents cannot take care of them. Right?
Granted, this woman was writing in response to my satirical piece on Gitmo, and I told my editor that I anticipated the hate mail would start flowing in, but this woman REALLY HATES ME!
Why am I excited about this? Everyone claims to hate Perez Hilton, but someone is reading and watching him... otherwise, no one would even know he was around to hate.
