Support Mexico!

[Re: The Hottest Man at Mutek, May 27] Even though I had never heard of the DJ Mauricio Rebolledo, I must say it was good to see a big Mexican head on the cover of a newspaper, what with that crazy law in Arizona and the racism of the Tea Party people in the USA. Hooray for Canada and our openeness.

>>K. PLYMOUTH

Tumbling dopes

[Re: Discs, May 27] Hello? Hello? Hello? Exile on Main Street by the Rolling Stones gets an 8.5 score? Less than someone named Jahnice+ (9)? Only .5 better than the Dum Dum Girls—whoever the hell they may be—and the latest record from the frigging Stone Temple Pilots (8)? Has the Mirror lost its mind?

>>A. L. OLDHAM

[Ed’s reply: Due to an unfortunate combination of overlong copy and imprecise editing, it was not made clear that the 8.5 score in the review applied to only the new material on Exile, not the original Exile, which would score a 10.]

A true Lost story!

[Re: “The grand finales,” Riff Raff, May 27] Thank God someone said it. Actually, let’s thank Raf for pointing out two things that have been driving me kind of crazy lately, the playoffs and that stupid TV show Lost.

First, the hockey. Okay Montreal, we get it, you like hockey. Fine, lots of people do. But come on! Do you really have to riot? Do you really have to drive around with those dumb flags on your cars? Do you really have nothing better to talk about on the radio? Do you really have to honk your horn at all hours of the night when they win ONE game? Expand your minds people!

Okay, Lost. I’m not a big TV person, never have been, so I didn’t watch the show although I knew people who did. But here’s a true story: A couple of weeks ago, just before the finale, I was sitting in a bar on St-Laurent, I won’t say which one, when all of a sudden this couple next to me start talking loud—really loud, so loud I couldn’t ignore them. They were arguing about Lost! And their conversation was so stupid! Time travel and smoke monsters? Huh? And then the girl got up and stormed out, the guy had to chase after her. It was insane! This nice-looking couple practically broke up because of that dumb show.

So thanks again Raf, for pointing out things that really annoyed me and are now finished. I’m looking forward to your column on St-Laurent’s street fairs.

>>MELISSA PARSONS

What’s a Jew to do?

[Re. “Frankel, Groves, alchemy,” Letters, May 27] Oy, after reading the letters of Dimi, Shirley Groves and others, what’s a Jew to do?  On the one hand, he is being told that he should not see anti-Semitism in virulent attacks on Israel, even in attacks that put into question the right of the Jewish state to exist.  There’s no anti-Semitism here, he is told; it’s just Israel’s despicable behaviour that explains the animosity.

On the other hand, the same person is being asked either to be a good Zionist and emigrate to that illegitimate state of Israel or, if he elects to stay, to be a nice and quiet boy.  But it so happens that the admonition to “pack up or shut up” (i.e. leave or blend in) is a classic trope of anti-Semitic discourse.

Perhaps our nice and quiet Jew should just understand that people who say such horrible things are unaware of the images and feelings they propagate, that, really, they are peace-loving people who are simply standing up to injustice, that they are in fact working in Israel’s interest by making it see the errors of its ways, and that, would he know them personally, they would likely be his best friends.

That’s all possible.  But with friends such as these, who needs enemies?

>>RAPHAËL FISCHLER

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