Have a Happy Period!

[jobob]

I think it was meant to be funny.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

I think it was meant to be funny.

I know that.

[SadieKate]

I've seen that letter before but it still remains hilarious. The satirical tone is priceless.

I highly doubt that someone who is that skilled at satire would be unnecessarily rude to others. If so, there are a bunch of book authors we should be boycotting.

[roadie gal]

Considering that fact that at this moment I am in the throws of a PMS so bad that it feels like my body is one size too small, that I can't stop eating, and I'm ready to kill anyone who looks at me funny... I think that letter isn't strong enough. Talk to me in a week, when I'm human again, and I might think it's over the top.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

So SK, you're saying that was not a real letter that was actually sent?

I like well written satire very much, and crude language can be funny (and fun) if used cleverly.... but I think if that letter were really sent to that company president, then it should have shown the bare minimum amount of decent manners that we would show to any stranger in the street. Others might think differently.

I agree, there's a whole lot of things in this world we should be boycotting. Probably not too many book authors though.

[SadieKate]

So SK, you're saying that was not a real letter that was actually sent?

What? I'm saying we can't assume someone who is a skilled satirist, in fiction or non-fiction, is going to be rude without regard. Otherwise, we'll need to add many political columnists and broadcasters to that boycott list also.

[sfa]

I've seen that letter before but it still remains hilarious. The satirical tone is priceless.

I highly doubt that someone who is that skilled at satire would be unnecessarily rude to others. If so, there are a bunch of book authors we should be boycotting.

I'm not so sure about that.

Personally I think the letter is very funny, and I particularly like the image of homicidal maniacs in capri pants.

But having a sharp wit like the author clearly has can lead to being unnecessarily rude. I do it myself sometimes, and you get into a bad habit of being biting and sarcastic because it's easy to do and it gets laughs. And it's not always nice, but you keep doing it because you like those easy laughs. I suspect that with an appropriate creative outlet (like a book, or a stand-up routine) you're less likely to see unnecessary rudeness, but since we don't know the author of this letter, it's impossible to say if her creative outlet of choice - a letter to a manufacturer - takes care of her satiric urges or if she also would bite the head off a bank teller.

Sarah

[SadieKate]

. . . but since we don't know the author of this letter, it's impossible to say if her creative outlet of choice - a letter to a manufacturer - takes care of her satiric urges or if she also would bite the head off a bank teller.

Sarah

Exactly. And we don't know if this letter was published publicly, like an op-ed, either.

[Jones]

Exactly. And we don't know if this letter was published publicly, like an op-ed, either.

I thought this letter was hysterical, so I Googled the name of the author, Wendi Aarons, and found this at Breakthechain.org.

"This humorous editorial was originally titled "An Open Letter to James Thatcher, Brand Manager, Proctor and Gamble" and was, indeed, written by Wendi Aarons of Austin, TX. It was originally published on "Timothy McSweeny's Internet Tendency," an online creative writing journal site, in March 2007."
She has written many things and has several blogs.

[lph]

I think it's hilarious, and I think she's wording it so obviously over the top that even the recipient might find it funny. I've written a similar letter (not as funny, I'm afraid) to some company that insisted on billing me a gazillion times for a magazine I'd cancelled, and my intent was to get my point across strongly, with humour. And I swear - I've never bitten the head off any bank teller or shop assistant

edited to add: I guess "tiny middle-manager brain" was a bit unnecessarily rude. Unless it was actually directed to somebody at the top, in which case he can probably handle it.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Well it's good that we can all express our thoughts about it.

(hopefully without biting each others' heads off or ripping each other's uteruses out.)

(uterii??)

[maillotpois]

There's an attorney here who's known for his incredibly mean yet very funny letters to opposing counsel. That "tiny middle manager" thing reminds me of a letter he wrote once that went something like: "I can almost picture you sitting at your deck crafting that sentence. However, since I don't know what you look like, I have to imagine a clown sitting at their desk."

The whole thing was pretty darned funny. I actually scan and save letters like that that I get in some of my more litigious cases.