The photo on your Feb. 25 issue was inconsistent with the accompanying cover line. “The Sleazy Side of Skating” would better describe a photo of the disgraced panel of Olympic ice-skating judges. I think a more appropriate cover line would have reflected the ordeal and accomplishment of both pairs of gold-medal winners, while honoring the jubilant outcome for the Canadian skaters. The Olympics is the epitome of amateur competition, and I find it amazing and heartwarming that the most professional integrity was demonstrated by the athletes and not the myriad officials exercising a grand display of finger-pointing in an attempt to salvage their reputations. Kimberly E. Esser Los Angeles, Calif.
Your cover story on the horrid state of affairs in figure-skating judging reinforces my opinion that any event involving judging is not a sport. Not that I’m detracting from the physical abilities of these performers, but when winning or losing depends heavily on subjective opinions, it ceases to be a sport and becomes an art. The fact that certain other athletic events have been shown to be “fixed” before they ever occurred emphasizes the point; you could never do that in speed skating, cross-country skiing or bobsled competitions, where the clock is all that matters–not how you look while you race. Bill Trankle Indianapolis, Ind.
I was disappointed with the way you used the word “Bulgarian” in your Feb. 25 cover story, noting that even fans of pairs skaters Jamie Sale and David Pelletier “wondered whether they would have gotten the gold if they had been homely, bucktoothed, balding and Bulgarian, rather than cute, charismatic Canadians.” I think the hypothetical comparison is offensive to Bulgarians and an insult to intelligent readers like NEWSWEEK’s. Your wording hurts both the image of Bulgarian people and NEWSWEEK’s reputation for responsible journalism. I would like to see an apology. Tsvetan Petkov College Park, Md.
Editor’s note: We regret that some Bulgarians and other readers were offended by the phrase we used. Our intent was to convey that the media, and sometimes Olympic officials, seem to treat certain nationalities with more respect and affection than others.
Will Denzel Do It?
you’ll
I admire Denzel Washington as a talented actor. I am happy to hear that he makes $20 million per picture and so sad that he has no Academy Award to show for it. Give me a break. I wish I had Washington’s talent and could demand that kind of salary. I sure wouldn’t be sitting around feeling sorry or disrespected because I didn’t have an Oscar. Washington says that one of the reasons he had the love scene with Julia Roberts in “The Pelican Brief” deleted was the fear of offending some moviegoers, especially black women. I wonder what the public’s reaction would have been if Julia Roberts had asked for the scene to be cut because she didn’t want to offend white men. On second thought, I already know the answer. David Wilson Glen Burnie, Md.
If Denzel Washington is awarded the best-actor Oscar this year, it should be for his extraordinary acting talent, not for the color of his skin. To do otherwise would be demeaning to a great actor who happens to be black. Linda Becconsall Newtonville, Mass.
This is not about race. The only sure way for Denzel to bag an Oscar is for him to get a part playing a mentally challenged, crippled man with a dysfunctional family and an English accent. Chuck Yost Boone, N.C.
Articles about black actors and Academy Awards seldom mention James Baskett, who won an honorary Oscar for his role as Uncle Remus in Walt Disney’s 1946 “Song of the South.” The picture also won an Academy Award for best song (“Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah”) and was nominated for best scoring of a musical picture. Interestingly, you cannot purchase “Song of the South” in the United States (because its racial stereotypes are deemed embarrassing), although it is available overseas. The fact of the matter is that the movie is an Academy Award-winning classic, and political correctness keeps it from being seen here–and keeps James Baskett from being given his proper place as a film legend and the first black male actor to win an Academy Award. Bruce Bowers Charlotte, N.C.
Wanted: Young Black Leaders
I disagree with David L. Evans about the complacency of young minorities toward civil-rights activism. Times are different. Slowly but surely, minorities are becoming a major power in traditionally white arenas like politics and business. While the advances may still be disproportionate, minorities now have a collectively loud voice where none existed. This requires us to rethink our strategies to more effectively promote civil rights. It was easier 40 years ago to distinguish blatant racist actions, and the resulting consequences, because they were so obvious. In today’s America, too many people do not see any racist behavior because the discrimination is more covert. This makes it that much harder to preach about the injustices of racism, when many people think we are preaching on an issue that is irrelevant. It is the duty of the new civil-rights generation to inform the public of hidden prejudice and help minorities elevate themselves. Salvador Garcia New York, N.Y.
Kudos to David L. Evans for addressing an issue of importance well beyond the black community–one that affects the wider world where, unfortunately, “genteel racism” continues to thrive. If such narrow thinking is to be counteracted, it will take African-American spokespersons other than blowhard egotists with sometimes questionable ethics. I see these smart people every day, and while the cause may not seem as compelling as it once did, only they can open minds, garner interest and establish credibility. Patricia Steever Alexandria, Va.
A Thief by Any Other Name…
The statement in your article “The ‘Thrill’ of Theft” that “shoplifting was the first distinctly modern crime, a product of late-19th-century mass merchandising,” is totally absurd. “Shoplifting” is just a euphemism for “stealing.” And a thief is a thief. Skipp Porteous New York, N.Y.
Corrections
In our Feb. 25 coverstory on figure skating, we ran a graphic on the skating judges, including the flag of each judge’s country of origin. During production of the illustration, we inadvertently duplicated the Russian flag above the name of the Ukrainian judge. We regret the error. Ukraine’s actual flag is pictured in this week’s print magazine.
