Letters to the Editor 

GREAT WAR, GREAT STORY

I am one of the editors of the Wake Robin book, Our Great War. I wish to congratulate Elisabeth Crean for her splendid story on the book and her interesting interviews with some of the authors [“Talking ’Bout Their Generation”, March 25]. Also big thanks to designer Andrew Sawtell for his judicious and eye-catching use of photographs. The March 25 edition of Seven Days disappeared like magic from our shelves, and we had to borrow some from Hannaford. Many thanks to all of you for your decision to give the story such a prominent place in the edition.

However, I have one small correction to the story. We were surprised to note that the description of Wake Robin seemed to ascribe to the usual, somewhat pejorative cliché of “320 affluent elders” living in a “hilltop enclave” in the “most exclusive retirement … community” in Vermont. In a certain sense, it is exclusive because it is the only one of its kind in the whole state.

Wake Robin is a CCRC — a Continuing Care Residential Community — which means that once you become a resident you are entitled to care in Assisted Living and Skilled Nursing Care facilities right here on campus without being outsourced to similar places elsewhere, a great blessing to our children. Such facilities are, of course, expensive, but we do have a diversity of so-called “affluent” residents. We do have some elegant apartments and cottages, but we also have many apartments varying in size down to very small, and large numbers of our residents have retired from academic communities not known for their accumulation of great wealth. We are proud of the fact that many of us contribute actively as volunteers and supporters, not only to the town of Shelburne, but also to the larger Burlington community.

I only write this in the hope that in the future Seven Days will seek to portray Wake Robin more accurately.

The production of Our Great War has meant a great deal to us here, and we are very appreciative of the wonderful publicity you gave to it. Many thanks again.

Louise Ransom

SHELBURNE

FINE FILET

The filet mignon served at the Trattoria Delia is truly the best anywhere, as evidenced by a celebrity reaction [“Side Dishes: Celeb Cuisine”, April 1]. Once a client tries this filet mignon dish, he will never like it anywhere else in Vermont or the U.S.

Bill Jewell

SOUTH HERO

BAD AD

Congratulations, Seven Days! You have given a most welcome gift to the pedophiles of northern Vermont. I am referring to the American Apparel ad that ran in your April 1 issue, featuring a model who looks to be about 13. In her skimpy shorts, with parted lips and a come-hither expression, she starts off in a zipped-up hoodie. By the fourth of the six panels, her top is completely unzipped, and her breasts — nipples covered for delicacy — are exposed. This ad is clearly using sex to sell sweatshirts, which is probably OK by fashion industry standards, but the “Lolita” effect is not OK. Media sexualization of young teens and pre-pubescent girls has been a huge problem for years, and this ad exacerbates it.

You can say she’s 18, or 20, or 22 and a graduate student in physics, but it won’t fly. The fact is that she is meant to look like an eighth grader who is ready to be your sexual fantasy nymphet, and this ad achieves that effect. I was an editor at an ad-based weekly much like Seven Days for several years, and I understand the financial realities of putting out a free paper. But I also know that advertising reps work with their clients, and if the newspaper has standards for what they will and will not run in their publication, the rep must convey this to the advertiser. Does Seven Days have standards? Or do you merely run whatever the retailer submits to you?

Have you forgotten the sad lesson of the Brooke Bennett case so soon? Can you say “Breckenridge”?

Anne Goshdigian

WESTFORD