Hal on His Hill
I am writing to make you aware of a situation that I as a parent, taxpayer, and teacher have a problem with. As part of Black History Month, Central High School contacted Mr. Hallerin Hill about speaking to the student body during fourth period. It is my understanding that Mr. Hill agreed to do this for $500.
I have several problems with this arrangement. First, I find it unconscionable that as an African American, Mr. Hill would charge an inner-city school $500 dollars to speak during Black History Month.
Second, I cannot believe that, with the financial straits our education system is in, we are paying $500 dollars for anyone to come and speak for 90 minutes. It is especially hard to accept this arrangement knowing that it takes many teachers an entire week to earn the amount Mr. Hill was paid for an hour and a half.
I contacted Mr. Hill about two weeks ago concerning this matter and suggested that he donate the money to an appropriate African-American nonprofit organization. He has not returned my call concerning this matter as of Feb. 24. I am asking you to contact Mr. Hill and encourage him to do the same.
Kevin M. Thomas
Knoxville
No Crusader, But....
I can see it now—Matthew Everett and John Sewell, snickering and elbowing each other in the stomachs like some modern day Beavis and Butthead. And why not? They really pulled a good one, getting Metro Pulse to print the “F” word, right there in black and white, for all the world to see, on facing pages (pp. 22-23) of the Feb. 19 edition. And to top it all off, the word or some derivative appears not just once, but several times, on those pages.
Please, pretty please, raise the editorial bar a bit. The usage of the word was not necessary for the spirit of the stories at issue. The “rock” portions of Hank III’s new album could have been just as aptly described without listing the titles of the songs that contain the “F” word. In fact, no details at all are provided about the content of those songs other than to list the titles of the tunes, suggesting that the songs were mentioned solely for the shock value inherent in having the “F” word (and/or a drug reference) contained in the titles. Oh, please. Surely the Pulse can do better.
I have never heard of the JOMF band; I would venture to guess that an overwhelming majority of your readers had never heard of JOMF before the story on page 23 either. Now, many of us know much more than we ever wanted to know about that bunch.
I noted with irony that one of the advertising blocks on page 23 shows Metro Pulse thanking “our veterans.” I am sure most veterans relish the thought that they put their lives on the line so a group of marginally talented musicians could name their band by combining the nickname of a deceased First Lady with a form of the “F” word that would have gotten most of the veterans’ mouths washed out with soap, if not worse, when they were youngsters. (Whatever kind of language those veterans might have used on the battlefield as adults is beside the point; most veterans I know do not want to see the “F” word printed in their newspapers.) Again, the story could have easily been written without printing the nasty details of the crude name of the band.
It would not have detracted one iota from the discussion of the band’s musical styles and history to have explained that JOMF stands for “Jackie O” combined with the “m——-f——-” phrase that so many of us hope our children never learn.
It is hard to resist the urge to conclude JOMF is marginally talented; why else, after all, would truly talented musicians need to resort to naming their band something so shocking that the name alone would grab the attention of the more juvenile segments of the consuming public and the media? If they were truly exceptional musicians, they wouldn’t need to do that. Would they? Wouldn’t their music succeed of its own merit?
The stories in question could have been written with equal wit and insight without using the “F” word in the text. It is not my desire to take up the mantle of moral or cultural crusader, but I sincerely hope and believe that Metro Pulse can continue to provide informative and entertaining articles without stooping to the level of printing the “F” word simply because it thinks it can get away with it. Please, you can do better. I know you can; we all know you can.
Tony Dalton
Knoxville
South Knox Regency?
An open letter to County Commissioner David Collins and County Mayor Mike Ragsdale:
It sounds like you have decided to appoint the late Howard Pinkston’s brother Paul to the County Commission seat.
With all due respect to the Pinkston family, that is not democracy.
If Paul were willing to complete Howard’s term, and not stand for election in the fall, I probably would have less of a problem with it.
“Paul Pinkston said he’s not only interested in the interim position, but also being elected to the seat in August,” according to the article in the News Sentinel.
The article goes on to say, “County Mayor Mike Ragsdale will respect the wishes of the family, said county spokesman Mike Cohen.
“If Mayor Ragsdale has anything to do with it, it will be a unanimous decision” by the Commission to appoint Paul Pinkston, Cohen said.
Collins said he thinks the Commission will approve Paul Pinkston, “but you never want to second-guess what they may do. My intent is to follow the wishes of the family.”
What’s wrong with this?
1) Paul Pinkston attains instant incumbency, disadvantaging any potential candidates in the fall.
2) This is not a democratic process; this is the appointment of a regent, in the tradition of baronial, medieval powers, not an American democratic election.
3) The wishes of a deceased elected official’s family should never be paramount to the wishes of the electorate.
Mr. Collins, Mr. Ragsdale, I ask that you represent the wishes of Knox County, not the wishes of one family. We elected Howard Pinkston, not his wife, and not his brother.
We demand better from our elected officials. Call for a special election, or [allow] that the seat remain vacant until the fall election. This process is exclusive, not inclusive, and is an obvious effort for the few to withhold and control power from the many.
Doug McDaniel
Knoxville
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