Letter of the day: from rent control resentment to a defense of christmas music
Subject: EVA MOSCOWITZ QUESTIONS/XMAS
Hi. I am a long-time listener who was prompted to write you regarding your questioning of Eva Moscowitz this morning. As usual, the woman was the only candidate whose husband's job and income came up. Yes, you can argue that his job as a lawyer was relevant because his income enabled her to live in her district. But as a 47-year-old, self-employed artist and designer who used to have a real job as a network TV news producer, I am so sick and tired of men -- and women -- asking me what my husband does for a living... without expressing even the faintest interest in what I DO. First, I get the impression people are often fishing for what my social and economic status is by determining what my husband does -- and I am offended by it. If it happened only occasionally, it wouldn't bother me. But it is consistently one of the first questions people ask you. The other candidates didn't have one word spoken about their spouses except the one whose wife was a former teacher -- and he offered that information to you. You didn't ask any of the male candidates about their wive's incomes or occupations. There were no implications that their spouse's incomes were at all relevant.
And I have another issue with your show. I've been listening to NPR since 1981. I have never been so upset in all these years with anything on any show as much as I was upset by your segment on bad Christmas music last year. I WAS SO OFFENDED by the skanky stabs taken at a holiday that is still a magical family day for many of us. Yes, they are trying to make Christmas a purely merchantile occasion of buying and returning... but in our family, sacred and not-so-sacred Christmas music by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Ella Fitzgerald and Willy Nelson is an important part of this special season. It sets the mood as do the decorations and the candles and the beautiful Christmas ornaments on the tree, each one special and carefully placed. We are not religious, but I am SO TIRED of you and the New York Times writer who was on and everyone else putting down a holiday that we cherish. Just because you don't have it and don't understand it, doesn't give you the license to trash it. People kept calling in to talk about the cherished music they love, then you'd go to the break playing the worst, most trashy stuff you could find -- as if people who celebrate Christmas really like that stuff. There will always be bad music made by people with bad taste, but with all the wonderful, sacred, poignant, magical, clever Christmas music out there, I found it really petty that you would do a whole segment on the garbage. It's as if you wanted to get back at all of us Santa-huggers. Maybe you should do more research about how families really spend Christmas and why it is special to them. I do a ton of shopping and spending -- but amidst all the hard work, baking and bill-paying, it is still an occasion that binds our extended family together. And that's important.
-KS in Millwood
