DRESS FOR SUCCESS

In response to Sandy Green's letter [August 25] detailing her rejection of employment based on her attire, I must say that Green was rather naive to not realize the necessity of "putting your best face forward" when meeting prospective employers. A large part making a good impression includes the kind of clothing you're wearing, and while I wholeheartedly support the rights of freedom of expression, I realize that there are places where certain styles of dress are simply not appropriate. It should be common knowledge that a job interview is hardly the proper forum for jeans and t-shirts; regardless of whether or not Green's t-shirt featured "offensive" language or controversial ideas, she should have had the discernment to understand that casual attire would seem to reflect personal sloppiness and lack of conscientiousness. (Whether these are traits she truly possesses or not is irrelevant… the image she is putting out there would say that to most people, even if they only realize it subconsciously.) Of course, it is unfortunate that anyone should be declined for a position based on his or her appearance rather than their qualifications, but such is the nature of the beast that is employment. The job market is very competitive (especially in today's economy), and like it or not, dressing accordingly may be the "make or break" of an employer's decision. I don't mean to sound like a tight-ass in saying all this, as I'm a supporter of self-expression through clothing, but everyone needs to realize what is appropriate to wear in differing scenarios. It's really just a matter of common sense… which is (ironically enough) a trait most employers look for.

Angela M.
Winder

WHAT'S IMPORTANT?

Uh… Is this thing with the Mcintosh review [August 4] over yet? I mean, it's nice being talked about and all, and I'm sure Ms. Bunny's diggin' the attention as much as 63 Crayons, but, uh, it's a review ferchrissakes man! "Well I think it's a good review"… "Well I think it's a bad review"… "Well I think it's a fair review"… "Well I think it's just mean." Holy shit man we got Nazis in the White House! Nazis I tell ya! Goose-stepping' lyin' war of aggression wagin' Nazis! And that's not all! They're trying to con us into a national sales tax on the sly. That's the most asinine bunch of horse-shit I've heard in a long time (seeing as how I have to spend every penny I earn). Or if the money thing ain't no good fer ya how about Assault Weapons Ban expiring in a few weeks. What's more important here people? Keeping uzis and MAC-10s out of our faces or expressing our displeasure/ agreement with whatever is written about a CD some folk from Virginia recorded. Thanks for the support and thanks for the, uh, non-support. But please. Stop writing letters about CD reviews and get back to work people. We got shit TO DO!

Joseph Davis
Athens

DISENCHANTED

I have recently become disenchanted with the Flagpole. As a politically aware citizen I have looked to your weekly for direction in my advocacy, but a letter you published this week ["More Meddling," July 28] as well as your coverage of the county commissioners has sent me on a search for better guidance.

To put it bluntly, the Flagpole has bitched and moaned regularly about the commissioners, and rightly so, seeing as how their rental ordinance is blatantly discriminatory against gay citizens in Athens. Only when election time rolls around and we get a chance to start doing some democratic booting, your version of "coverage" is a namby pamby survey about the candidates' music preferences. A very well-financed candidate told me in conversation, "I don't know about you, but I kinda think all black people look alike." Given what I see is a clear necessity for some serious questioning, your version of hard-hitting reporting is pointing out that another commission candidate, Elton Dodson, pays his volunteers. If you had bothered to even call any of them, you might have spoken with my roommate, who works six days a week, over eight hours a day. She's paid a whopping $100 per week, which hardly covers gas and food during her shifts. The commissioners pass legislation that directly impacts all of us, some of it has proven to be heterosexist and discriminatory against the poor, one of the candidates has serious race issues, and the best you can do is ask the commission candidates what their first album was?

And then I pick up the Flagpole today and read the letter to the editor about the CDC altering its HIV policy. I grew very concerned and prepared to write a scathing letter to the Atlanta health organization. So I log onto the CDC web site and read the proposed reform, looking for the quote Pamela Szczygiel mentions about no funds being given to any program that "promotes or encourages homosexual activity." So I access the full text of the reform, available at www.cdc.gov/nchstp/od/content_guidelines/comments.htm. The full quote reads, "promote or encourage, directly, homosexual or heterosexual sexual activity or intravenous substance abuse."

The addition of "or heterosexual" and "sexual activity" kind of changes the meaning of the sentence, don't you think? Especially disturbing is that the word "promote" was changed to "promotes" to fix the grammar of the sentence.

As for a program losing its funding for putting a condom on a banana, I couldn't find anything about that either. I could investigate further, although I kind of thought that was your job, seeing as you're publishing it.

I, unlike Szczygiel, encourage you to access the document and judge for yourself, rather than blindly protest like a fool. There are real, documented injustices occurring, even in our supposedly liberal oasis of Athens. What about the surrounding communities with no bus service? Or clean water? The anti-gay rental ordinance? The lack of sex-ed programs in public schools that might make the CDC's outreach unnecessary? Etc.?

I would appreciate maybe informing your readers about reconsidering their letters to the CDC and instead joining one of several gay advocacy organizations around Athens, like Stonewall Students. (You can reach the group's head, Kyle Bailey, at newdem@hotmail.com) Oh, and perhaps you should ask the commission candidates what they think about black people.

Just a thought.

Alexander Rowland
Athens

LIKES DEAN

Patrick Dean's cartoons rock.

Matt Hannum
Athens