To the Staff (21-Oct-2011)

 In: Letters > Staff > 2011
 Posted: Oct 2011
From Enrique

Good day to you. I was reading your writing on the dialogue between Iron Man and Captain America, and I was very, very pleased with what I saw. Your analysis and reflections on American literature and your philosophical statements are very, very interesting to me. As an American, I myself shamefully agree with you how preposterous and asinine American literature is. Oftentimes myself I wonder if I haven't been born in the wrong century, the wrong nation. The fight at the end of the comic is rather distateful, and the talking heads that we like seem to be limited to a very small audience comprised of people such as yourself and me.

Oftentimes, when I speak to Americans, I feel I must get down on all fours on an intellectual level. It's always been like this with me. Truly, I find such things uncomfortable. Ive been strongly considering Europe as a place of residence. One of America's first contributions was pragmatism, which isn't really a contribution at all, I think. This nation is a very rough nation, and violence appeals to the youth here. However, I found your reflections very refreshing. If I could, I'd offer to go to barnes and noble or some bookstore with you and just simply discuss things over a cup of coffee. I hope we can continue to speak to one another via email.

I'm glad you enjoyed that piece, but I think you may be overstating my views: American literature is far too vast and variable to simply label "preposterous" or "asinine". Parts of it are, sure, but other parts are thoughtful, rich, and sublime. There's too much in American literature to generalize about! The same applies to the American people, too. While some Americans do and say things that are ridiculous or odious, others are just the opposite. It's a big country.

I'm sorry that I can't engage in a correspondence; I have many responsibilities, only one of which is writing material for SpiderFan, and I'm over-committed as it is. I'm sure you'll find other people to discuss literature and philosophy with, though, there's lots of Americans who enjoy doing so. Really!

I think the first step to finding them is to try a different attitude: when you talk to someone and act like you're "getting down on all fours", people can sense your condescension. Very few good relationships will begin that way. Best of luck!

 In: Letters > Staff > 2011
 Posted: Oct 2011