Politics of resentment
Congratulations to Alan Talaga for bringing the politics of resentment all the way home to Madison in his piece “Important progress” (1/25/18). “Every single Wisconsinite has seen this all before — a sea of people waving signs and marching around the Capitol. That image has lost any positive power it once had.” Mr. Talaga must have gagged on the tired old images of marchers in New York City, Seattle, or Denver. Why did they have to keep “sucking up all the lefty oxygen in the room” away from Albany, Spokane, or Boulder? Yes, Madison is not a major city, but it is the second largest city in Wisconsin, and wasting all of our “lefty” energy in 2018 was a shame. Here’s another gem straight from the Scott Walker playbook: “Conservatives would have shined a light on the capital city, reducing a legitimate and growing statewide movement down to simple ‘Madison liberalism.’” The theme of the 2018 Women’s March was Power to the Polls and focus on people of color. To dismiss many allies with the notion that there isn’t room for efforts elsewhere in the state if Madison participates is a mistake. And it’s the politics of resentment.
— Lynn Reed Shaf (via email)
Don’t it always seem to go
Singing the we-don’t-know-what-we’ve-got-til-it’s-gone song. Goodbye Isthmus Book of Love! Did I miss the article why it’s over? Will we break up by Post-It? I can guess its demise lies at the bottom line.
— Rebecca Cuningham (via web)
[Editor’s Note: We mentioned last week that the feature had run its course.]
Former fan
Re: “I’m done with football” (2/6/2018): Totally agree. I am also a Packer shareholder. I stopped watching football after the Finley hit in 2013. Switched to watching soccer; there are concussions and leg breaks, but I don’t feel as if I’m watching the players slowly dying for my entertainment.
— Troy Gallipeau (via web)
Nailed context
The review of Padmaavat (“Bollywood’s epic controversy,” 2/8/2018) displayed an impressive knowledge of the movie and the political currents swirling around the ludicrous protests against it. My wife and I have our roots in India — and, to boot, my wife is from the same region and community as the agitators. The review really nailed it when it came to providing context. We must say, however, that James Kreul has more fortitude than us. We’re waiting until the movie is available for home viewing, so we can accompany the movie with a few drinks to help us swallow its seemingly endless tedium. Then, we can assess if Kreul has been too charitable even with his mixed assessment of the movie.
— Amitabh-Deepa Pal (via email)
Correction: Last week’s article, “The end of a trend?” incorrectly stated that Judge Michael Screnock had appeared at two candidate forums with his rivals; he attended three.