By Jae-Ha Kim
jaehakim.com
April 30, 2011
Every now and then, I get an e-mail that I like to share with my readers. Few of them will be glowing, ’cause let’s face it. How many of us write letters to say we love something? Usually people only get their juices flowing when they really can’t stand you.
Here’s a letter from a reader who doesn’t like my work, and who said as much in an e-mail to one of the travel editors who runs my syndicated column.
I’ve taken out the names because … well, what the heck? It just seems like the right thing to do.
Dear [Editor],
While this frequent vacation traveler enjoys your Travel section and the N.Y. Times’, I feel that your “Celebrity Traveler” column should be eliminated.
It’s pretty uninformative and largely useless to query some so-called “celebrity”, usually young and not well traveled, about his limited experiences. What’s more, neither my wife nor I have recognized or heard of any of them, making their celeb status doubtful.
Sincerely,[Crabby pretentious reader with good taste because, you know, he reads the New York Times]
Really? Never heard of any of them? Not a one?
I did write a short, polite note back to the unhappy reader, explaining that my column actually is called “Go Away With…” But some of the newspapers prefer to call it “Celebrity Traveler.” It’s their prerogative. I asked him who he considered famous enough to be featured, since he (and his wife! Let’s not forget about his wife!) didn’t know any of the folks I had profiled, including Super Bowl star Troy Polamalu; tennis ace Venus Williams; Olympians Apolo Anton Ohno and Natalie Coughlin; actors Kevin Bacon and Henry Winkler; entrepreneurs James Dyson and Richard Branson… Oh, and some kid named Justin Bieber.
He never wrote back.
When I was a staff reporter for the Chicago Sun-Times, one of the top editors hailed from England. When he’d hear about things like this, he’d say, “Tell him to f— off.” To which I’d say, “Um, I can’t do that. That’s not very professional.” Pausing, he’d add, “Well then, tell him I told you to tell him to f— off.”
You’ve gotta love the Brits!
Of course, I never said any such thing. What would be the point other than to be rude?
No one likes to be told they suck. But seriously, if you want to get me fired and take food away from my baby, then at least have the balls to confront me rather than going behind my back.
And if you can’t find them, try looking in your wife’s purse. They’re right next to the packet of Tic Tacs.™
© 2011 JAE-HA KIM | All Rights Reserved
Well, I am going to write in just to say that I LOVE YOU AND YOUR WORK…so there! 🙂
🙂 Ha! Thanks, Ginger!
LOL……….. I almost pee’d my pants! xoxo ~ Dawn
I’m not sticking up for him, but to be fair, he directed his dissatisfaction at the editor of the publication, which is what most people who read one do. I wouldn’t exactly say that’s going behind someone’s back. Readers who have a disagreement about a newspaper article will write to the editor, not the reporter directly. Writing is one of those professions that is subject to criticism. One unhappy reader is not going to get you fired or take food away from your baby.
Yes, I know. And his balls actually aren’t in his wife’s purse, either. 😉
You are sticking up for him and his stupidity that because HE doesn’t know who these people are, it’s not worth having, because he is more important than anyone else, so people should do what he wants.