Letters

—Aaron Vanek
Mar Vista

GOING THE WAY OF THE FREE PRESS?

DEAR EDITOR:

I long ago mourned the death of the progressive media in this country, but whenever I think I’ve finally found the subbasement and cannot possibly go any lower, you folks at the Weekly/Village Voice find another hidden stairwell.

“LALOVESEAT.COM,” the ad screams. “Adult Services — massage — escorts — dancers — clubs.” Why not tell it like it is? The Weekly is now pimping for prostitutes. I know none of you oh-so-talented writer types want to get day jobs, but really, how low can you go?

Have you ever talked to a former prostitute? I’m not talking about a young speed freak in denial lying to you about how she is in control, and besides she’s really just a college student. I mean a former prostitute who’s gotten out and can tell you the truth about what it’s really like. About the sad, self-esteem-destroying, soul-crushing, dysfunctional world that is real prostitution in this country. And now, the L.A. Weekly is going to make even more money from it. Not just from taking the ads, but from running a hot-line service on the Web.

You should be ashamed of yourselves.

Personally, I think prostitution should be made legal, and I think it should be regulated. But to participate in it, as if it’s not the horror that it is — only scumbags and weak people do that. Hope you don’t believe in karma.

—Bill Cody
a former reader, Los Angeles

RAINDROPS KEEP FALLIN’ ON OUR HEAD

DEAR EDITOR:

Hi, I’m Jordan Lee from Florida. The article about the “golden shower” made me laugh so hard people were turning heads in the county library where I logged on to the story. Thanks for your insights!

—Jordan Lee
Palm Beach Gardens, Florida

The EDITOR Replies: Would that be the “golden shower” reference in a) the March 26 story about singer Inger Lorre, b) the March 10 OffBeat item about author Shawna Kenney, or c) the January 29, 1999, article about artist Steve Hurd — all of which are available at our Web site?