Woo cover was gross! Blech!

While sitting in a coffee shop on a nice summer evening, we encountered some uncertainty regarding this fine Montreal newspaper that lies before us. We are having difficulty expressing exactly why and how the cover of the Mirror ["Who's afraid of the big, bad Woo?" May 21] has so much affected us, but we both agree that it hit a nerve somewhere, and we dislike it.

We don't care if Tricky Woo are infamous for offending people with their choices of posters, etc. But school girls?! See, we can't express it...it's annoying!! Why, why is the Mirror doing this?! Pedophile fantasies are bad and yucky, and we don't think that they are cool in any context. It's gross! Blech!

Now, we are not crazy politically correct chicks; in fact, we find much enjoyment in South Park. But seriously, folks, that cover sucked! Not just popsicle sticks, either.

--Anna Sikorski and Sisi Taylor

Uniforms okay, dress codes un-okay

Not to drag an aging argument out beyond all reason, but Robert Pariseau, who wrote to the Mirror in defence of school uniforms ["School uniforms make for better kids" (e)Mail, May 28], seems to be in need of a little clarification. The issue concerning Luc Lesage ["Freedom of wardrobe", May 21], and his conflict with school administrators over his choice of dress, is a perfect case in point: it has nothing to do with uniforms. It has to do with dress codes.

In a school that has implemented a uniform policy, all students are required to wear the same outfit; to find other means of self-expression than their clothing. Such a system is usually put into place to minimize conflict, or to bolster school spirit/identity rather than to uphold some administrator's subjective ideal of a sartorial standard, as dress codes are. If I am correct concerning the situation at Luc Lesage's school, there is no talk of a uniform policy. There is only the feeling among staff that somehow Hilfiger or whatever else the other students wear comes a little closer to their fuzzy image of the ideal student attire than does the mohawk and boots of Mr. Lesage.

That is the difference between a uniform and a dress code. And that's the problem. Who is the Wizard of Oz here, behind the scenes, making the decisions? And on what basis can s/he make their decision other than personal prejudice? After all, "standard of dress" isn't a very objective standard. So let's nip this talk of "dress standards" in the bud right now.

--James Baker

Anarchy™ in a time of corporate sponsorship

Yes, the demonstration was a success, O my beloved anarchists! Well rehearsed and everything went off without a hitch ("That's where one of those fascists scraped my face on the sidewalk!"). The revolution has begun. It's the beginning of an era. The atmosphere is palpable. The next day you could see suits trembling so hard they could barely dial their cellphones.

The global economy truly is omnipresent, so what to do? I sit, hardboiled, gazing at the summer bodies from my vantage point on the terrace of some 99¢ a slice pizza joint. My Cherry Coke goes so well with my duMaurier lights. I stare at the swooshes on my sneakers and mumble, "bastards." All these name brands, winged eels slithering along the heels of today's children.

What's the answer? It is to do as they did in Florence during the Renaissance: express yourself in pure individuality. Burn your name brands and trademarks, O my children! Wear yourself! Let the revolution spread until every citizen on this planet smashes capitalism in all its minutiae! The revolution will indeed be broadcast live, with commercial breaks by upstanding sponsors. You, yes you, the one soaping your car, just wait until the Party gets a hold of you!

--N.E. Body

Cummins golden ears are the problem

I just read Johnson Cummins' article on the Mango Kid ["Nobody's darling", May 28]. I'm responding to Cummins' comments about his "golden ears" being forced to listen to shitty demo tapes by local bands crowding the entrance to the Mirror, and him crushing their puny musical dreams, etc. Do you really think that we care about his golden ears? You people are nothing! You now know why there isn't a music scene worth checking out or listening to in Montreal: when newspaper journalists think demos are shitty and not worth listening to, nothing gets done. Nobody breaks out of this shitty town for that reason.

--Wolfgang Detomaso