Common Ground: From Our Readers

August 2007 | Letters to the Editor

From Our Readers

For Better Body Image, Don’t Blame the Ads

I was pleased that you opened a discussion about body image in the media (“A Pound of Flesh,” June 07). A big problem with body image is not only that ultra-skinny models bombard us on TV and in magazines, movies and ads, but there is also a sense of guilt, self-consciousness and shame that pervades the American psyche. Blaming the ad companies is valid, but does not solve the problem.

We are ill equipped to deal with our issues, and constantly looking outward for solutions, thinking Well, if I didn’t see so many beautiful, skinny women, I’d be happier with my body and myself. The change does need to involve a focus on healthy bodies rather than body fat percentage, but it also needs to be a personal one, where we stop looking outward (to magazines and actresses) for validation and start looking inward for self-worth. Would these issues still be here if we had more “average-sized models” than “rail-thin” ones? I think yes, because the advertising world is not centered around making people happy — it is there to convince you that you’re not good enough, pretty enough, thin enough, clean enough, etc.

— Charlotte Banks, via internet

Keep CG Cruelty-Free

I love Common Ground. But, I can’t help but cringe when you post articles on health that use animal studies as their reference. In this month’s CG’s Body Talk, the article “Not Just For Violet Beauregarde” was disturbing in that it suggested studies done in rats correlate to humans. Human clinical trials will show a more accurate correlation. As a reader of a magazine that shares information about health, well being and compassion for the environment, the earth and all its creatures, I would like to read articles that still report on good health findings, but are based on studies of human clinical data and not animal vivisection.

— Jennifer Argenti, Santa Monica

Mad About Brad

Brad Warner (“You Can’t Be Deceived”, June 2007) certainly got one thing right: he is an idiot! He had nothing interesting to say and his sarcastic tone was most unbecoming. I’d rather hear from the REAL Buddhist masters like Thich Naht Hahn or Pema Chodron. Please inform Mr. Warner I think I’ll continue supporting the publishing industry, thank you very much.

— James, Los Angeles

Shiny, Happy Non-Breeders

I, too, appreciated Laura Wiley’s “An Apology for Not Breeding” (July, 07). My husband and I are both in our mid-30s and have decided that we most likely won’t be starting a family — lack of interest being the main reason. I enjoy hearing how others have come to the same decision.

What I liked most about Wiley’s article, though, wasn’t specific to the issue of having or not having children. The last paragraph is an excellent recipe for a generally happy life, and I cut it out and taped it to my cubicle wall to serve as an everyday reminder:

“The truth is that every time we choose to do something in this life we are choosing not to do something else. Life is a series of decisions to be made, the ramifications of which we can’t know until we make the decisions — and sometimes not even then. It might surprise us that the decisions we make are not, in themselves, what determine our level of happiness. It is our ability to make decisions using self-knowledge and intuition, and then accept the outcome, that determines our quality of life. Making informed choices and then living our lives gracefully and without comparison to others is the best we can really hope for.”

— Sharyl Burson, via email

Challenging Veganics

I just read an article in the recent issue of CG, “How Green is Your Diet?” I strive to find information that doesn’t potentially hurt consumers and wanted to point out some “danger zones” in this particular article.

A vegan, raw food diet is not a sustainable choice as it doesn’t respect the sacred relationship between animals and soil. The solution to the factory farming situation is to buy sources of animal protein from local farms that pasture their animals. There are some very good points in this article, but please be careful about the illusion that a vegan diet is healthy or that it supports sustainability. I’ve seen far too many people get sick from removing animal protein and fats from their diets (and, I’m not drawing from a small sample after being involved in the field of nutrition and natural health for 20 years). Furthermore, given the loss of our precious topsoil, it is important to resuscitate small family farms that practice what I call “authentic agriculture.” Slowly, then, we may see the reduction of factory farming and the return to healthy sources of animal protein.

— Pam Killeen, co-author of The Great Bird Flu Hoax, via email

Don’t Kill Our Buzz

Nice bee article (“Buzz Kill,” July ’07). However, the cartoon at the end of the story is ill-conceived. First, the one bee talks about the disappearance of bumblebees. What? The problem is with honey bees. The two are not interchangeable. And the story is about honey bees, not bumblebees. Second, the assertion that “some spontaneously combust” is complete fabrication. It seems that the cartoonist sacrificed any hint of accuracy for the sake of the pathetic last frame. Finally, the two bees are represented as males. Eighty percent (at minimum) of the bees in a colony are female, as the greater population are worker bees which are always female. The workers are fully responsible for the health and smooth functioning of the hive. The males (drones) only live to eat and go out on mating flights. I doubt they would be much concerned about colony collapse disorder.

— Ross Thompson, Chicago

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