Re: The letter

Well, it seems to me that if that many people had a hand in it, you'd think
someone would have noticed the sexist remark.
Kitty


> [Original Message]
> From: Island Jim <jsinger@igc.org>
> To: <gardenchat@hort.net>
> Date: 5/6/2003 4:00:27 PM
> Subject: Re: [CHAT] The letter
>
> let me join you on the soap box for a moment. rhea, the unfortunate 
> reporter in this instance, didn't do this all by herself. on every 
> publication where i've had the misfortune to work, a reporter's garbled 
> prose is edited by, in turn, the section editor, the rim desk, and
[often] 
> the managing editor or one of the assistant managing editors. that is why
i 
> said i would fire the rim--the often is the last screen to keep stupidly 
> poor writing out of the publication. and stupidly poor writing is the 
> problem with this lede; you have to read it two or three times to figure 
> out what it is trying to say. i think the bad decisions were made, 
> incidentally, because all assembled thought it was nifty to associate 
> gardening with throwing dirt in one's face--kind of juxtaposing a 
> stereotype with a cliche.
>
>
> At 07:16 AM 5/6/03 -0500, you wrote:
> >Regarding my outrage at that writer's reference to "girly", (indicating 
> >effeminite) attributes of gardeners/horticulturists:
> >I'd sort of like to clarify that, as hard working as all us women
> >gardeners are, we know it's not really a slam. And for a man to be
> >considered effeminate, in many ways is a compliment; nothing wrong with
> >it. The reason I'm offended is because, with her choice of the word
> >"girly" and the structure of her sentence, you could tell she MEANT it
> >as a slam. I think that often even we women subconsciously agree with
> >the old-fashioned sterotype of women being considered the weaker sex and
> >are pleasantly surprised when a man chooses work considered out of sinc
> >with traditional male choices. We need to remember that there is no
> >weaker sex. There are general characteristics that should not be used as
> >stereotypes. As my (male) vet said when we discussing neutering a cat,
> >"Most of the problems in this world are testicle-driven." But we still
> >have people like Ghandi and King. And not all women are Mother Theresa.
> >I'd like to think that any good qualities someone might have could be
> >had by both men and women. To be a nurturing person should be an
> >attribute of both sexes, rather than just feminine. To be ambitious
> >should be considered the same trait for both rather than changing the
> >word to pushy if it's a woman.
> >
> >
> >Oh, enough of the soapbox. It's going to take a long time for the world
> >to change, if it ever does. But I say gardeners/horticulturists are a
> >tough breed and tough is neither masculine nore feminine.
> >
> >
> >Kitty
> >
> >-------Original Message-------
> >From: Bonnie & Bill Morgan <wmorgan972@ameritech.net>
> >Sent: 05/06/03 04:43 AM
> >To: kmrsy@earthlink.net
> >Subject: RE: [CHAT] The letter
> >
> > >
> > > Kitty, I think we all are with you on this one!  For one, I sure hope
they
> >print your letter in the editorial page!  After all, nearly all the
> >farmers
> >I knew and know are men and I never in my life heard anyone say they were
> >effeminate!  (My whole family on dad's side was farmers, for goodness
> >sakes.
> >Today cousins in Jasper are still farming and you should see the biceps
on
> >these folks!  Nothing feminine there.)  The author must have led a
> >deprived
> >childhood!
> >
> >Please do let us know whether the letter gets play in the paper or
whether
> >you receive any response from them.
> >
> >Blessings,
> >
> >Bonnie
> >
> >-----Original Message-----
> >From: owner-gardenchat@hort.net [o*@hort.net] On
> >Behalf
> >Of Kitty Morrissy
> >Sent: Monday, May 05, 2003 12:09 AM
> >To: Agardenchat
> >Subject: [CHAT] The letter
> >
> >Regarding Rhea Edmonds' Living Section feature article (5/4/3) on the
> >young greenhouse owner, Ryan Baker, I was appalled at her opening
> >sentence.  She wrote, "A long-lived stereotype identifying plant and
> >flower gardening as girly..."  What??  Ms. Edmonds did her subject, Mr
> >Baker, and the entire horticultural community a great disservice by
> >childishly (and unprofessionally) labeling men as effeminate if they
> >possess an interest in this billion dollar industry. By whose standards
> >(other than her own) does she believe men who enjoy plants are "girly"?
> >She interviewed several men for her article including Roger Moll,
> >Cooperative Extension Director.  Did she think them "girly"?  Talk with
> >Allen County Horticultural Educator, Ricky Kemery, about the back-braking
> >labor that flowers and other plants require and she'll discover that
> >horticulture is not for wimps. Most of my professors in my Horticulture
> >courses were men.  Many great garden wrtiers are men.  A large number of
> >our local Master Gardeners are men.  They will all gladly tell you that
> >they have endured sweat and pain for the sake of beauty in our lives.
> >That is NOT "girly".  This stereotype exists only in the writer's mind
> >and she should have had the good journalism sense to keep it to herself.
> >And the JG should have had sense enough to assign this story to a more
> >capable writer.
> >
> >
> >If you have weeds, you don't have enough plants.
> >
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