Re: “American Loneliness” by Doyle Srader (EW 9/16):
“Remember my conservative family, friends who had great slogans and bumper stickers… they were reducing an issue to a sound bite, using jokes to turn humans into caricatures. Doing that to an idea is misguided; to people, is violent.”
Rush Limbaugh and Donald Trump have been doing this for over 40 years, and they weren’t using their wit to help their minions cope. Far from it. They are, to date, using their platforms to create fearful, delusional, belligerent zombies.
Collaborate? With zombies?
I’ve tried reasoning with duped family and friends. Futile. Publicly mocking or denigrating them is also futile and, because of their mental state, dangerous.
For the sake of the common good, I’m vaccinated. That’s what normal, caring people do for each other. We keep our distance from the unvaccinated. We’re not lonely. We’re not driving the problem (which is fear of the “other,” not loneliness); the bratty, grabby power hungry and their zombies are.
Annie Kayner
Eugene
A Note From the Publisher
Dear Readers,
The last two years have been some of the hardest in Eugene Weekly’s 43 years. There were moments when keeping the paper alive felt uncertain. And yet, here we are — still publishing, still investigating, still showing up every week.
That’s because of you!
Not just because of financial support (though that matters enormously), but because of the emails, notes, conversations, encouragement and ideas you shared along the way. You reminded us why this paper exists and who it’s for.
Listening to readers has always been at the heart of Eugene Weekly. This year, that meant launching our popular weekly Activist Alert column, after many of you told us there was no single, reliable place to find information about rallies, meetings and ways to get involved. You asked. We responded.
We’ve also continued to deepen the coverage that sets Eugene Weekly apart, including our in-depth reporting on local real estate development through Bricks & Mortar — digging into what’s being built, who’s behind it and how those decisions shape our community.
And, of course, we’ve continued to bring you the stories and features many of you depend on: investigations and local government reporting, arts and culture coverage, sudoku and crossword puzzles, Savage Love, and our extensive community events calendar. We feature award-winning stories by University of Oregon student reporters getting real world journalism experience. All free. In print and online.
None of this happens by accident. It happens because readers step up and say: this matters.
As we head into a new year, please consider supporting Eugene Weekly if you’re able. Every dollar helps keep us digging, questioning, celebrating — and yes, occasionally annoying exactly the right people. We consider that a public service.
Thank you for standing with us!
Publisher
Eugene Weekly
P.S. If you’d like to talk about supporting EW, I’d love to hear from you!
jody@eugeneweekly.com
(541) 484-0519
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