Sex industry not so rosy

[Re: “Sex in the City,” Theatre, Cover, March 11] Your cover story on sex-columnist Sasha’s play, Neon Nightz, paints a rosy portrait of the city’s so-called sex industry. Yet I don’t recall any equivalent coverage of the negative side of the same industry. My research on Quebec’s history of child abuse leads me to believe that the sex trade and child abuse are strange bedfellows.

It is in no decent person’s interest for there to be so much commodified sexuality in society. It merely stirs up longings largely unfulfilled. Along the way, an enormous sum is spent without the achievement of any sort of intimacy. Maybe Sasha has been empowered by the business (business deals under her ass, oh my!), but for every Sasha, I’m sure there are many who could tell a sadder tale.

One of the reasons for Montreal’s corrupt government is all the money to be made on vice, untaxed. Instead of productive jobs, people are offered demeaning occupations. And while the quick money from drugs and sex can be alluring to a young woman with few prospects, the end result can often be further abuse, unresolved addiction, and possibly getting caught up in the serial killing of women.

It is intellectual dishonesty to constantly trumpet the benefits of the widespread societal decadence your pages portray, without telling people about the sordid realities behind the scenes.

We can only hope that someone in your organization remembers an hour or so of journalism class, and attempts to rekindle the ideas of fairness and balance in your pages.

>>J.M. Wolowitz

Replace Raf with black hole

[Re: “They live,” Riff-Raff, March 11] There are alternatives to the criminally narcissistic and constitutively pointless logorrhea you weekly condone by allocating ink and paper, however recycled, towards the “Riff-Raff” column.

Leaving aside the possibility of replacing it with better content, a strategy which I can’t imagine you wouldn’t have already implemented if you could, these include, but are not limited to: a) leaving the space blank, b) putting another escort service ad there, c) putting Xeroxed dead puppies there, d) putting a miniature black hole which will suck away your soul just the same while at least dispensing with the “I’m so clever” antics.

Please don’t worry about your contractual obligations; paying him not to write would be money wisely spent. I trust you will consider this request with the utmost seriousness, and please accept my less ironic good wishes for your continued convalescence etc.

>>Julien Villeneuve

Consider it reported

I’m hoping someone will report on the fact that CTV reporter Mark Hume wrote about the closing ceremonies without having seen them. He talks about how wonderful Martin Short was—problem being, Short never arrived. http://bit.ly/bCBfDa

>>Cleo Dhisle

The prophetic tradition

[Re: “Dirlik wrong!” Letters, March 4] Raphael Fischler is a better qualified apologist than Ken Frankel, but that’s not saying much. He is equally delusional when he claims the “secular-humanistic” ideals of Zionism prompts some Jews to support Palestinian rights. While Zionism’s principles are indeed secular—though often couched in biblical terms to swindle the support of religious Jews and whackjob evangelicals—there was never anything remotely “humanistic” about the ethnic cleansing of Palestine. (Read Israeli historian Ilan Pappé’s The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine.)

Israel’s creation and its continuing control of millions of Palestinians was and remains possible only through expulsions, dispossession, torture, slaughter, collective punishment and a flagrant denial of basic rights. It is not because of Zionism, but in spite of it, that some Jews condemn such revolting injustice.

Biblical prophets used to loudly denounce the transgressions of their day. For that, they were vilified by the temple priesthood, whose role (like that of today’s Zionists) was to defend the established order. When contemporary Jews speak out against Israel‘s atrocities—and are marginalized as “self-hating Jews”—they do that out of basic human decency but become true heirs of that great prophetic tradition of Judaism.

Zionists instead emulate a far less noble priestly legacy of state-worship. In doing that, they do a great disservice both to Judaism and Jews.

>>Lina Magliola

CORRECTION: In our St-Patrick’s day round-up “Trail of beers,” we stated that Brutopia does not sell Guinness. This is not true. Brutopia has lots of Guinness. We apologize for this rare beer-related error.

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