Don't blame the teachers

This is in response to Kristian Gravenor's column ["The Idiot Factory," May 20], which intimated that a direct tie exists between today's teachers and the way young people are increasingly solving their problems through gunfire.

It's true that there are shining examples of mediocrity in the teaching profession, as in all others. It's also true that teachers have a great deal of power over our children.

Luckily, though, there are many teachers who take this responsibility very seriously. Rather than telling "fairy tales" and "preparing corporate employees," they encourage independent, critical thinking. Rather than talking "at the front of the classroom until their time is up," they listen to their students and provide the respect and personal attention that they are increasingly lacking at home.

And they do it all despite job insecurity, increasing workloads and diminishing respect for their profession in society. And even despite ranting columns like the Kristian Perspective, which simplifies a complicated problem by picking an easy target.

Also let me send out my personal thanks to my 11th-grade English teacher, who taught me never to say something damaging without offering something constructive to take its place.

--Beverly Baker

Bouncing skins

On May 18th, the night of the UK Subs show at Foufounes Électriques, approximately eight bouncers surrounded a dozen skinheads calmly drinking their beer on the terrasse. They were rudely told to leave without being given any explanation. Furthermore, these clients were denied reimbursements for their full pitchers and show tickets.

Now it might be said that a skinhead's a skinhead, but these working-class non-racist skins--some of them SHARPs--are well-known by the punk community, accepted as allies and known not to be troublemakers. A few of them even came all the way from Halifax to see the show.

What is the purpose of letting these people in just to kick them out half an hour later once they've spent some money? Why is it that the bar that played an important role in founding the LAM is kicking out anti-fascists? This is but one of the all too common dumb-ass incidents where bouncers abuse their power.

--Name withheld

Eating vegetarians for dinner

After reading Shloime Perel's "brilliant" criticism of fish-eating and glove-wearing people ["To catch a thief," Letters, May 20], I've had it with these vegans and vegetarian monsters.

His argument that "each animal is a separate individual" so "why deprive it of its life" is the stupidest I've heard (and vegetarians say a lot of stupid things). Countless other vegetarians blahblah about "did you know our digestion system was not designed for eating meat, technically we're a vegetarian species." But people do eat meat. Why do we consistently, as a species, proclaim our superiority and attempt to lift ourselves out of the "cycle of life"? Do I tell Buster, my cat, not to hunt birds and rabbits anymore and keep him inside and force him to eat tofu and salad?

Meat-eating isn't the problem. Humans are. Vegetarianism is being treated as a lifestyle choice, fad, status symbol, etc. Too many people become vegetarians in the second semester of college, then stop when they graduate. Their "save the world" thing goes the way of their hemp bracelets and Ani DiFranco albums. For example, I know two girls who, in the presence of each other, are strict vegans, but will eat milk, chocolate and fries when alone. This self-centredness is doing the damage.

Far too many save-the-world types are doing it out of self-interest, not earth-consciousness. This is why a bunch of hippie-esque poseurs can take over Mount Royal and leave it a fucking wasteland of garbage, Zig-Zags and hair extensions. They just want to be seen with long hair and a djembe and a joint in hand--they don't give a fuck. Most people don't--they only give a fuck about themselves. Which is most likely why someone can read an article about shoplifting and start thinking about their own vegetarianism.

--Matthew Gosse