Tags: editorial | letters | Think Magazine

Letters to the Editor, Issue #43

Dear Think,

I am heartily sick of reading anonymous emails from semi-literate losers like "Conner O'Gorman". O'Gorman had nothing intelligent to say, and his comments were extremely offensive. He made a number of incoherent criticisms of my work against animal abuse, which I nevertheless feel need to be addressed:

(1) You claim that you are "all for causes reducing animal cruelty in the world". Why, therefore, do you attack one of the handful of people who is working in this field in the Czech Republic?

(2) You claim that my organization asks for money from readers in order to "suck vast funds into administration and shock poster campaigns." None of my articles has ever included a request for money; I have never organised a poster campaign, and the only money used for administration is my own.

(3) You describe my articles as '"unoriginal rehashed crap, creamed off equally big nobbers around the world." The purpose of the Animal Consciousness Foundation is to alert people to particularly serious examples of animal abuse: we are not a detective agency. Nevertheless, if you had actually read some of my articles before passing comment, you would have found that they contain significant amounts of original material. This is why many of them have been translated into other languages and published around the world.

(4) I am sure that you were thrilled to see that Think published your letter: in fact, they publish all letters they receive, so you have demonstrated nothing more than the fact that you are capable of sending an email.

If you push your writing to a higher level, I suggest that you study basic grammar and punctuation, buy a dictionary so that you can find out the meaning of difficult words before you use them, learn to check your facts, and work out how to develop an intelligent argument. If, after doing this, you manage to get anything published in any other form, please feel free to come back and comment on the work of established writers.

(5) You imply that other animal rights groups are "big nobbers". Apart from PETA, most animal rights organisations consist of small groups of people working for no pay, because they are passionately concerned about reducing the abuse of non-human animals.

This is something that I imagine is completely beyond your comprehension. If you ever get the chance, I suggest you contact the people in China who are working tirelessly to save bears who have been kept in coffin-like cages all their lives (as discussed in one of my recent articles). Tell these people that they are "big nobbers" and see what their reaction is.

(6) You object to my using my doctorate title, and suggest that this is not appropriate in a "non-scientific magazine". Clearly, you have never read any scientific magazines, since this is the one place where such a title is never used. In case you haven't noticed, it is standard for people in the Czech Republic to use academic titles.

I am sorry if you have a chip on your shoulder because you do not have any education (as demonstrated by the level of your writing ability). Please learn to deal with this insecurity, without dumping your anger on other people.

(7) In future, if you want to pass comment on somebody else's work, I suggest that you check your facts first, and that you have the guts to use your own name.

- Yours sincerely, Dr Paul Kail, Director, Animal Consciousness Foundation, Visiting Professor, Szeged Medical University

You made a mistake in your editorial entitled 'eatz'. We (Delivery.cz) do not charge 'A percentage of the bill plus a hefty delivery charge'. We simply add a percentage on top of the price we pay the restaurant to cover delivery. Thanks for the free advertising.

- To your door s. r. o.

I got a call from Sotheby's twenty minutes ago and they said they were looking for a copy of last months 'Think', they said it was a classic and already hard to find. I happen to have several copies and will no doubt make a killing, it's all thanks to you guys.

- Stewart Moore < This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it >

Congratulations on a fab mag! How can I arrange to get it here in Brno? Do you know where Brno is? Do your readers know? Do they know that there is life, love and lovely lass's (Irish speak) outside of the golden smoke? Maybe you can make some space for some fun tales from this happenin' place deep in the REAL Czech republik every month? Interested? Send me some mags - I'll send you some masterpieces!

- Joseph Deignan < This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it >

Dear Joseph,

Thanks for the fab letter! Do you know that the reason you can't get Think in Brno is because it's a two-bit backwater? Do you know that if you ever try and send us your 'masterpieces' they will be thrown out before they are opened? Now ya' do!

Hey Think,

I live in Colorado and I was in Prague about three months ago. During that time I found and read your magazine. I loved it and wanted to bring it back to show everybody. But I left and did not remember to grab the first issue that I read. It was number 37 and I would love it if you could maybe find a copy in your files and send it to me. Also, I tried to subscribe and get the free issue and t-shirt and stuff, but the page just won't finish and take my info, so I will send it to you.

- Kara Harris, Gunnison, CO, USA

Dearest Kara,

The issue is on the way. Sorry about the confusion, the website is working again, and a lot of our back issue material is online now, so you can download some of number 37 there.

Cheers.

Think Magazine,

Since I first moved to Prague I've been picking up your magazine on a fairly regular basis. I read through it, let it get dog-eared in my bag for a few days and usually end up passing it along to a friend or some tourist who asks me what's to do here. Every time I read it I laugh, shake my head, nod suspiciously to myself in the dark corner of some bar or some combination of the three.

It elicits a response, which is good. It's remained focused, which is great. It's kind of like the odd letter from a friend back home - it reminds me of where I am and makes me feel a little less alone at those times I most relish the ambiguity and solitude of my life in this city. A comfortable contradiction?

All of us living here have a skeleton or two in the closet and no one likes to think they're just like the next fool down the bar; maybe that's part of why we ended up here, maybe I'm wrong.

- Micah Jayne