letter to parenting magazine

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   Onusonusposted 12 years ago

   Dear parenting magazine,
   I just received your latest issue and I couldn't help but notice that out of over one hundred pages only ten of them had actual articles addressing parenting advise and other related content. The rest of the magazine was a catalog of consumer products for sale. That is a grand total of 10% of useful, (not very useful), information, and the other 90% is nothing more than a bunch of adds for toys, junk food, cloths, and other child consumer products.
   
   So my question is; are you bone heads trying to tell me that the only way to be a good parent is to buy my kids a bunch of cheap plastic crap made in China?! Or maybe you just want my kids to grow up to be a bunch of fat asses. Maybe you just want to see me pump all of my resources into your worthless, consumer driven, crap factory until there is no money left for college or any other possibility for a bright future.
   
   It is my humble opinion that this kind of abuse in the way of materialistic mental conditioning, and the propagation of poor eating habits is the opposite of what a good parent should do.
   
   My subscription was a gift from a friend, it probably came from their kids school so they could take a class trip to some exotic place as a reward for selling that useless rag you call a magazine. It saddens me to think of how many trees have to die every year in order for you losers to make a buck. Please cancel my subscription, and have a nice day.
   Shawn Herron.

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      Shadesbreathposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      I hope you actually sent it. On paper. In an envelope.

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         Onusonusposted 12 years agoin reply to this

         I thought I'd get some feed back first. Was it too nice?

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            Disturbiaposted 12 years agoin reply to this

            I have only three things to say about your letter:
            
            First:   Your math "1% of useful, (not very useful), information, and the other 90% is nothing more than a bunch of adds" only adds up to 91%. Did you mean to put 10% or 99%, if not, your faulty math makes you lose credibility.
            
            Second:  Your use of name-calling,  "bone heads" and profanity "crap" and "fat asses" makes you lose even more credibility.  Even if I agreed with everything you had to say, you lost me with your vulgarity which is completely unnecessary when trying to make any point. 
            
            And thrid:  It is an unfortunate fact of doing business that those very advertisers you complain about are what enable the magazine to stay in business so that it can bring you that 1% or 10% or useful (not very useful) information.
            
            This letter is more likely to end up in the trash can than on the desk of somebody who might possibly be able to remedy your complaint, as no one will take it seriously.

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               Onusonusposted 12 years agoin reply to this

               I changed the 1% to a 10% (clerical error). Other than that I think I was being very generous considering the fact that my children are being shoveled a bunch of useless consumerism by the schools. And if you think that is rough language you should never ever work at a ship yard. Perhaps I should send it to the board of education as well.

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                  Lisa HWposted 12 years agoin reply to this

                  If you don't like what's in a magazine don't buy it (and if you bought it once and discovered you don't like, then I'd think writing a reasonable letter to tell that your reasonable objections isn't a bad idea; but the other side to that is that if you want ad-free you're usually going to have to pay a lot more to get the information you want (unless, of course, you go to your local library).  If you don't like what your schools are doing, voice your concerns (maybe with like-minded parents in the district) to the school department or other officials.
                  
                  I, personally, found the fact that the world is full of ads very little problem when my kids were little (especially considering some of the other less-than-desirable messages/ideas that get sent in the direction of kids by "the world".  As with everything else that parents find negative or destructive and that gets sent in the direction of kids by people/things outside the family, parents need to help kids learn how to see those things in perspective, understand where they're coming from and why, recognize what messages are worthwhile and which aren't, and learn how to live in a world that's full of stuff we, as parents, don't really want filling our kids' days with.
                  
                  When it comes to something like ads we can all "vote with our feet"  but we can also help our kids be immune (or at least substantially immune) to a lot of the stuff the outside world sends in their direction.  I know because I have three grown kids who have solid values, and I know "zillions" more other people who do as well.
                  
                  When kids see parents who function well in a world that will always be imperfect, and who know how to have a mind, and values, of their own but also generally like the world (rather than hating hating); and when they have those parents who talk them with sound reason and a positive attitude about how much control we really do have over our own choices; they tend to grow up immune to a whole lot of negative influences.
                  
                  Besides, I've read more than my share of magazines that have good articles in them but also have "tons" of ads.  I ignore the ads.  I don't change my thinking or my values, or go running out like a buying-robot on auto-pilot to buy whatever's in them.   
                  
                  (To be honest, I think, maybe, you underestimate the power of being a positive influence, talking with, and having a solid relationship with, your own kids.)

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                  Sneha Sunnyposted 12 years agoin reply to this

                  lol.... great. A bit politeness is required. But you should report, to them and to board of eduction.

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                  Disturbiaposted 12 years agoin reply to this

                  You are correct Onusonus, I have never worked in a shipyard, but you are NOT sending this letter to shipyard workers, you are sending it to the editor of a magazine, someone who also does not work in a shipyard.  Your ideas will be better received if you know your audience and play to it.  And Lisa HW makes a very good point, if you don't like what's in the magazine, don't buy it.

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   TLMinutposted 12 years ago

   Now that you've gotten that off your chest, you can write a real letter.
   
   I completely understand and agree with you but if your only purpose is to rage insultingly, your letter will be dumped in the garbage. If that is what you want, that's fine, but if you want to actually make a point and see a change, rewrite it.

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