A Wake-up Call?
To the Editor:
The Flyer‘s cover story on daycare (“The
Daycare Dilemma,” February 21st issue) was, I hope, a
wake-up call to responsible lawmakers and diligent
parents. The problems we see with child care are the same
we see with elder care. Integrity is at an all-time low
in business today, and the children and elderly are
the easiest to scam because they have no voice.
To say both systems are broken is true. To say
the politicians will fix it is a lie. Until these situations
personally affect them they will continue to see them
as someone else’s problems. Our political leaders
don’t use subsidized child care or elder care. They
make enough to afford reputable care for their
vulnerable family members. It’s like asking a single guy what
it’s like to be married. It just doesn’t make sense.
There is a way to make it work and work well.
In researching child care around the country and
around the world I’ve found many systems in urban
situations that work and many, like Memphis’, that
don’t. We should learn from cities and states that are
successful. There is no need to be a pioneer in
something such as child care. Children need unconditional
love, nurturing, and stimulation.
It will take some time and patience; it won’t
happen overnight, and some folks will be
inconvenienced. Our impatient, quick-fix society caused this
debacle, and we are going to have to paddle backward
for awhile.
Parents need to work on a community solution
and work with their lawmakers. Children are too
valuable to become pawns in a political war. They will
become the casualties if a peaceful solution is not reached.
Melissa Geralds
Memphis
Hooray
To the Editor:
Hooray to the Flyer for bringing out what
makes Memphis so powerful. The article on Robert
Worsham (“Silent Giant,” February 21st issue) not only let
us know who penned that excellent poem but also
gave us a glimpse into the life of one of the many
citizens who hold Memphis together.
For too long in our city we have given the
spotlight to racists, both black and white, who have
influenced community attitudes. Worsham showcased
the fact that the real struggle was and is not just
between black and white but neighbor against neighbor.
This was evidenced by his being disrespected on a city
bus by a pair of young and ignorant knuckleheads of
his own color. I look down and I see white skin on
my hands, but a person with Robert Worsham’s
character is someone I would call “my people.”
Clint Norwood
Memphis
Not a NARAS Fan
To the Editor:
In the 10 years I have lived in Memphis I
have learned that one thing I can count on is the
annual neglect and misrepresentation of much
that Memphis music has to offer via the NARAS Premier
Player Awards. Out of the diverse multitude of talented
bands writing and performing quality music, we see the
same handful of names year after year with minimal
exceptions. With all due respect to all these unquestionably
qualified nominated artists, the awards ceremony
consistently represents only a small percentage of the quality
entertainment around.
It is a shame that so much Memphis talent is
consistently overlooked: King’s Trio, Memphis Soul Revue, Dr. Zarr,
Scott Sudbury, Carson & Poole, Jon Roth — just to name a few. If
it is an “originals vs. cover bands credibility thing,” there’s
nothing more credible than putting food on your table and a
roof over your head by performing music. I don’t care who
wrote the songs.
Rawleigh Hartzell
Memphis
Not a Distraction?
To the Editor:
Shame on Memphis University School for the ad they
placed in your February 7th issue. A line in the ad read,
“No distractions. Like girls.”
I wasn’t aware that girls were allowed into
public schools solely to be a “distraction” to boys. I
thought they were there to learn. Furthermore, looking at the
tendency of public school teachers to ignore girls in favor
of boys in the classroom (a tendency which has been
documented repeatedly by social scientists), one wonders
who the real distraction is here.
I’m sure there is a place for boys-only and
girls-only schools in this great country, but there is no place
for sexism in the schools our children attend. I hope
MUS submits an ad more tasteful and more pertinent to
actual education.
Dana Seilhan
Memphis
Editor’s Note: Due to a production error in last week’s issue of
the Flyer, the headline for John Branston’s City Beat article (“Who
Do You Know?”) was incorrect.
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at 575-9405. Or send us e-mail at letters@memphisflyer.com. All
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