Love-Hate Mail
Keeping it old-school
Regarding Christine Kreyling’s story on Nashville’s tear-down craze (“Supersize It,” April 6), I was very satisfied to see this issue get the coverage it so desperately needs. It is saddening to see the character of Nashville’s older neighborhoods being put in jeopardy by architectural disasters. But I would like to reiterate that the issue many people have with the tear-down craze does not just involve the inconvenience of constant construction or the drawbacks that come with having Frankenmansions on every corner. Nashvillians are also concerned about the increasing number of historically significant and architecturally pleasing homes that are being lost so needlessly. Our city has already lost much of its historic ambience to the encroachment of parking garages, condos, and unaffordable eight-bathroom nightmares. Perhaps if people like Christine continue to call our attention to these matters, preservation of older neighborhoods in our city will become more of a priority.
ANGELIQUE JONES
info@historichouseresearch.com (Nashville)
Critical mass
P.J. Tobia’s account of last week’s immigrants’ rights rally and small counter-protest (“In the Shadows of Demonstration,” April 6), bore almost no resemblance to my experience of being there. When in the past 40 years have we seen more than 10,000 people filling the streets of Nashville, stretching from Legislative Plaza over the river to the Coliseum and beyond? How many gringos had any idea that Nashville’s Latino community was so enormous and well organized? How, from reading your article, would I have known that the counter-protesters were outnumbered roughly 1,000 to 1? It’s easy enough to interview a few English-speaking activists on both sides of the issue, but I’m afraid you missed a golden opportunity to capture the magnitude of an unprecedented event of truly historic proportions.
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JEN CARTWRIGHT
jen_cart@yahoo.com (Nashville)
We like it here just fine
As a (non-smoking) native Nashvillian, I have had it up to here with people moving to our city and then ranting about the smoke in restaurants and extolling the virtues of the enlightened places from whence they came (“California Dreaming,” Love/Hate Mail, April 6). Yes, we all know smoking is bad for you. One is free to dine in smoke-free restaurants. (Guess what? They really do exist right here in backwater Nashville!) Legislators are working on changing the laws, and it appears as though that will take place in due course. In the meantime, to Ms. Hamilton and others who “lament the fact” that they live in such a “backward” state, here’s an idea: if you don’t like it here, then why don’t you go the hell back where you came from?
JULIE REYNOLDS
pmsjeze@yahoo.com (Nashville)
Where there’s smoke, there’s ire
It was bad enough reading William Dean Hinton’s “article” about anti-smoking legislation (“Puff, Puff, Pass,” March 23). And it was even worse reading about insipid teenagers encouraging a return to prohibition while spouting tired pee jokes as if they were deep philosophical thoughts. But, the capper was the smug “raging” of Kelsey Hamilton. How exciting for her that she single-handedly stamped out restaurant smoking in Florida. But to lament the fact that her “backward” adopted state is full of morons who don’t share her opinion on property rights? Gosh, Ms. Hamilton, we had no idea you wanted to go dancing and drinking in smoke-free restaurants and bars—maybe we could make them all smoke-free, just for you. Maybe you could teach us more of your Florida knowledge while you’re here. Or better yet, maybe you could just leave your condescension back in Florida.
If smoke-free establishments are so important to Ms. Hamilton, I’m sure she can still find them and patronize them. Of course, that would mean less time for her to patronize the rest of us.
JACK E. CHAMBERS
jackechambers@gmail.com (Nashville)
Loose language
Last night while browsing through the “Movie Clock” section of your March 23 issue, I was shocked to see the title Awesome: I F---N’ Shot That! printed. I understand that it is the title of a movie, probably a good movie, but it seems grossly irresponsible to print that in a section of a free publication that’s accessible to young children.
My family uses the Scene as a tool for finding, among other things, entertainment. My 9- and 13-year-old daughters have used your publication for school projects and homework since kindergarten. My children are no strangers to the word f—k, but they understand that all words are powerful. They understand that one should be conscious of who may hear or read the words that they use. I have had many careful conversations with them about this concept.
Furthermore, we have few such versatile and effective words as f—k. If it becomes casual and acceptable, then what are we to use as an exclamatory when we need it? Are the theaters going to spell it out on the marquees? I really don’t think so.
ROBIN H. HAYNES
828 Stirrup Dr. (Nashville)
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