Mr. Faraone’s sidebar to the recent feature “ ‘Tea’ is for Terrorism” states that “Massachusetts is the most socialist, hippie liberal moon-bat enclave in the country.” Yet any honest observer would have to admit that various other states in the Union are just as left-liberal (if not more so) as the Bay State. California is a long-standing competitor for the title of “most progressive state,” a fact borne out by the appellation “Left Coast” used by some people when referring to the West Coast. New York is another worthy contender, what with the example of pro-labor, progressive populist administrators and politicians like Fiorella LaGuardia, Elliot Spitzer, and Mario Cuomo.
Vermont, as the state with the only avowedly democratic socialist senator (Bernie Sanders) in the entire country is also a worthy candidate for the “most left-wing state.” Oregon and Washington State are, also, at least in terms of their major cities, apparent hotbeds of social democratic and reformist sentiment.
What often impresses me about the Bay State (in spite of its blue-state reputation) is how conservative and pro-establishment its politicians and opinion makers are, how uptight and sexually repressive and stultifying its inhabitants and civic life. Massachusetts isn’t Franquist Spain, but then again, it isn’t Sweden, either.
Barry Hart
Arlington
Screen shot
My name is Axel Kuschevatzky and I am one of the producers of the Academy Award–winning feature The Secret in Their Eyes. I read Peter Keough’s review of our movie.
A film is not meant to be liked by everyone and negative criticism is part of our job, but I found Mr. Keough’s review insulting. I’ll quote him: “In 2010, the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar went to this piece of crap from Argentina.” Even if you don’t like it, to say something like that is rude, infantile, and simply disrespectful. Of course, I am not demanding an apology but I guess a lot of people will think the same as me: Mr. Keough is lowering the film-criticism standards to a new low.
Axel Kuschevatzky
Associate Producer, The Secret In Their Eyes
Welcome back!
I wanted to thank you for the quantity and quality of your arts listings. For a long time I felt a bit lost while navigating the Boston cultural landscape. I must confess I have not picked up the Phoenix in a while, but did so today and was pleasantly surprised by what I saw. I will be doing so on a regular basis. I especially appreciate your extensive classical-music listings.
Helen Glikman
Cambridge
