Desperate woman: Dear Andrea, I'm a former Highland Park football captain, and I'm a few years older than you, but seriously, do you wanna go out sometime? I only ask because reading your article ("Rich Kids Behaving Badly," by Andrea Grimes, November 3), I could tell you clearly need a date.
Jeff Dillard
Dallas
We're No. 1: Listen, you jealous gothic punk, you need to stop trying to be rebellious and getting everyone to feel sorry for you and look at the facts and realize Highland Park High School is the best high school in the country.
Travis Hutt
Dallas
Never Been Kissed: I'm surprised that among her dozen or so mentions of The O.C. and the other assorted film and TV references, your reporter did not bring up the Drew Barrymore movie Never Been Kissed. That silly, misguided and pointless movie about a bitter nerd who goes back to high school undercover is exactly what this feature sounded like. Ms. Grimes' writing is funny, although too rooted in self-deprecating jokes, but as a longtime reader of the Dallas Observer, I expect better than this. Instead, I found eight pages that read like an excuse to her editor on why she couldn't file her story by her deadline.
Laura Elizabeth Cullen
Dallas
Andrea's teenage torment: Once upon a time, the story that never happened. We get it. The HP kids have too much money to spend on jeans. The reporter buys imitation. I shop at Old Navy and Target. So what? Love the vocab, but couldn't find the point. Recently I've become enamored with education questions, so I looked forward to a revelation of today's teens. Instead, I got a verbose, oversized column about the reporter working through her own leftover teenage torment. Disappointing.
Heather Goodman
Dallas
Loving human beings: I am a freshman at Highland Park High School. The stereotypical comments you made in your article come off pretty offensively, but I respect your opinion, and all I ask in return is that you read my defense. I ask that in consideration of the other side of the story, you come walk the halls of Highland Park High School yourself. I would be happy to show you around the school, or if you prefer, I know many intelligent upperclassmen who would be happy to give you the full tour of our dear high school. I believe that if you could spend a day at our school and witness the hard work our students put forth toward our schoolwork, you would realize that our students aren't snobby, or cocaine addicts, but loving human beings just like the rest of our world.
Yale Fairchild
Dallas
You blew it: Wow! I am completely amazed with last week's feature article. I'm amazed that the Observer actually published this steaming pile of shit. Were all the other writers on vacation last week? Where the hell was the editor? I would've loved to have been present at whatever board meeting took place when the group decided to publish this as the cover story. Did they say, "Well done, Andrea! You really nailed this one. Those damn Parkies will never know what hit 'em! [pat, pat]." Or, was it more like, "Oh f---, what are we going to do now? [Long pause, stares, shaking of heads.] Run it. [Cringe.] It's all we've got." For the sake of the Observer, I'm hoping for the latter.
If not, Andrea, let me be the first to tell you that your article sucked harder than a back-alley, red-light district donkey show in Amsterdam. You blew it. You wasted someone's money at NYU. Quit while you can and become a barista. You're not a journalist. I learned absolutely nothing new about Highland Park or Dallas from your article. Substitute the word "Colleyville" or "Plano" or any other affluent town for the words "Highland Park" in your article, and no one would have known any different.
As a self-proclaimed former objectivist from the Ayn Rand school of thought, let me share a quote with you, since you seem to have only read the CliffsNotes while attending Christian rock concerts (a dichotomy in and of itself): "Do not envy a worthless heir; his wealth is not yours and you would have done no better with it. If an heir is equal to his money, it serves him; if not, it destroys him. But you look on and you cry that money corrupted him. Did it? Or did he corrupt his money? Do not think it should have been distributed to you; loading the world with two parasites instead of one would not bring back the dead virtue which was the fortune. Money is a living power that dies without its root. Money will not serve the mind that cannot match it."
Teenagers are teenagers, rich or poor. By the way, my girlfriend informed me that Uggs have been out of style for well over a year now. Welcome back to Dallas.
Justin Spence, HP '95
Dallas
A Better Jukebox
Add to the trophy case: Sam, thanks for taking the time to listen to our new CD (Otto, The Great Unseen). Yours is the first published review we've ever received (Is This On?, by Sam Machkovech, November 3), so you can guarantee that it will be framed and hung next to my other recognitions (such as sixth-place ribbons from track or my perfect attendance awards for 3rd and 6th grade). Actually, I was honored that you took the time to critique our music since there are hundreds of bands in this area. Thanks again.
Matthew Otto
Euless