From our Mailbag 09/27/03 - 11/10/03
by YOU
THE WORLD - 
From Tashira L., New York, NY, USA:
SUBJECT: Pro Ana/Mia Column
First let me introduce myself. My name is Tashira, age 20, and a supporter of the Pro Ana/Mia sites.
Now for my comment:
A) First of all, it did infact sound like you were making fun of Ana/Mia sites for the purpose of ridicule.
B) Second of all, if you have never been diagnosed with an ED, I really don't see as to why you would even think of commenting on the subject.
Persons with ED's have infact recovered from these Pro Ana/Mia sites. If you were to go into one of them for a brief moment, that will indeed become apparent. Of course there may be some posts supporting these diseases, but not of fault of the moderators, only members (such as I), who have decided they are not ready for "recovery".
These sites are not for encouraging ED's, they are for support on how to COPE with it by communicating with others from around the world and giving personal opinions on the subject.
A person such as yourself would lack the mentality of understanding such a thing, for I assume you have never had an ED (please feel free to correct me if I am wrong), and with that I conclude with the ever-so-obvious fact that it may not be pretty, but Pro Ana/Mia sites are our place of comfort.
Sincerely,
BronxBeauty8
STUART ALTMAN RESPONDS: In this week's RDR column.
From Charles F., (No City Provided,) USA:
SUBJECT: Revoked Citizenship
I am not one to complain aboyt my country, but the I.N.S. made a mistake and revoked my citizenship. I was born prematurly while my family visited in Canada. Our home was in Custer Wn. I am a 64 year old air force veteran. A pencil pushers mistake has ruined my life. Ihave been deniged the right to vote, work , hold public office for no reason my civil conatitutional leagle and moral rights have been violated. PLEASE tell me how I can find an attorney with enough balls to represent me to reclaim what has been taken from me thank you!for the foreum. any advice will be greatly apriceated
ROD RESPONDS: Charles, let me highly recommend the international law firm of Morrison & Forester to you. As you may have noticed, members of their staff have represented clients for whom our magazine have been supportive advocates and I was once personally involved in a case they handled. They have offices in most major cities. Try the San Francisco or New York offices since you are here in North America.
Hope th is helps. Good Luck!
Rod
From Bob Powers, Marietta, OH, USA:
SUBJECT: Fellow Trailer Trash
Tom,
Enjoyed your riff on sit coms. I like "Friends," specifically for Jennifer Aniston, who makes my engines warm up and clang prettily. Otherwise, it can be sad slop.
You didn't mention "Scrubs," an alleged comedy about fledgling doctors in a hospital run by the meanest bastards outside of Texas. It's really a horrible show, but gets renewed year after year.
And that pathetic "Whoopi" sitcom not only isn't funny, butI get sore lungs from watching Whoopi sucking on a cigarette in every scene of every episode. Yikes!
Keep up the good work and tell it like it is. Few do.
Bob Powers
THOMAS HART RESPONDS: Well, Dang, Mr. Powers, gettin' kudos from one of the Senior Writers here just warms of the cockles of Missus Hart's fair-haired boy's li'l heart! I didn't know you even notice my scribbles on these here pages before now.
Thanks for takin' the time to write me, ole son! It's mucho appreciated. (You're right, we got a lottah mean bastards down here in Tejas. That's what keeps us strong.)
Never seen "Scrubs" and don't reckon I will after what you got to say about it. Again, gracias.
From Allison M., (No City Provided,) USA:
SUBJECT: RDR
Well, I am more than thrilled that you have such a sensitive moron to write about an eating disorder. This sophomoric attempt to raise eyebrows by using references to cancer and holocaust sickens me!
He is talking about this disease like it's the new pop culture wave and that the only reason that people who suffer from eating disorders do this is so that they can have "razor ribs" or be on the cheerleading team. Maybe this "writer" needs to pan up on his studies on eating disorders before he starts talking about how much he knows about them.
And I have never once heard anorexia be known as a choice unless you happened to stumble across the most ignorant wannabe anorexic there ever was. Maybe he should talk to an actual anorexic unless he knows all about this disease. Did he ever have an eating disorder? One of the lucky 10% of males?
Also I know this writer has the wisdom of ages but on the comment about an overweight "Ana" there is such a thing and I'm sure his comments didn't help. Someone get him a bumper sticker that reads "Save skinny girls ... kill fat chicks!"
I'm rambling and I'm sure my comments had no affect but if I could I say this all to this hapless idiot and write for you an actual column that isn't just slack verbs with the occasional jab or purging quip.
I hope one day this place will find a decent writer who is enlightened and tries to save peoples lives without diminishing the feelings the wreck them inside. I'm not pro-Ana and no anorexic I know is but they visit these sites so not to feel like an outcast in a world that will pat celebrity sickly slim on the back but spit in the face of the people who do this not just to get into a size 2. I have fought with anorexia and am winning, thankfully I'm stronger than thought. This foolish mans writing will never help someone suffering it will break them down, and no one has the right to do such a thing.
Thank you,
Allison M
STUART ALTMAN RESPONDS: In this week's RDR column.
From Jon M. (No City Provided,) USA:
SUBJECT: Your Anorexia article
Hello,
I have determined you should become a Christian (if you are not already).
It is a waste if you do not become a Christian, if you have already turned off your brain.
There are many advantages to this, too.
First off, you can now claim that all of your arguments reflect the word of God, and then quote random bible passages to convince your audience of this.
Second off, you never have to worry about facts again. Want to write a report, but don't want to study the facts? Don't worry, just use your general understanding of the subject. No research required. How much research do you think creationists do?
Thirdly, when people disagree with you,İjust write them off by claiming that they are possessed by the devil.
So, seeing all of these benefits for someone who has turned off their brain, how can you not want to convert to Christianity right now and exorcise your Jesus given rights?
I suggest you get over to www.landoverbaptist.com pronto and start learning what Jesus and Betty Bowers expect of you.
-Jon
STUART ALTMAN RESPONDS: In this week's RDR column.
From Stacy N., (No City Provided,) USA:
SUBJECT: Must be a joke...
Please don't disregard this email. I am an educated person with a question and a few clarifications, concerning
Stuart Altman's article: 'Ana and Mia: The Coffin Twins', dated January 13, 2003.
To whom this may concern:
I tried my best to withhold all judgements until I finished the article. When I reached the end, I came to the conclusion that this article must be a joke, sarcastic or something. How is cancer a choice? It's not. Not unless we know the cause of it. Then presumably, there will be some people who will do anything in their power to get cancer, because of course there are people like that. But really, is this article a joke?
FYI: Most Pro-Ana and Pro-Mia sites are support groups. There are some more extreme sites than others. The one I go to now is comrised of all heights and weights. They discuss their diets, which after reading much of their posts (in the forums), I've come to the conclusion that there are informed ladies and men who write. They also don't encourage you to change your diet, i.e. they don't pressure you into lowering your calorie intake. It's simply for support. Like Weight Watchers. Except with a lower calorie intake limit, which you personally set.
Also, there's not much difference between the diet that Woman's Day proposed and the one a lot of these Pro-Ana people are on (at this specific site). Woman's Day: 1000 calorie a day intake. Pro-Ana: 500 calorie a day intake.
Thanks,
Stacy N
STUART ALTMAN RESPONDS: In this week's RDR column.
From Ed C., Bloomfield, MI, USA:
SUBJECT: ..my mother ..... loved me .... she knew me better
Dear Rod:
I'll offer my condolensces, but I doubt that is what you want or need. As you know, I recently lost my wife, father and mother-in-law, all within a 14 months period. I hope that with each passing day the mixture of emotions(guilt, anger, unresolved issues) weighs lighter on you. There is a strange freedom for the living in the finality of death - the living have an opportunity move ahead in life, unfettered by the past, if they are able to acknowledge and come to peace with the fact that they cannot change it. Or as the the "churched" might say,"When God closes one door, he opens another".
I hope you mother's passing was relatively peaceful - sometimes that's as good as it gets.
You know,YOU seem to be a pretty decent "butler" to yourself.... you could, IMHO, make a decent present of yourself to somebody. I hope you try again soon.
Just do it baby.
Love,
E.C.
ROD RESPONDS: Unk, thanks for your kind thoughts. Let's hope "Superman" is listening...
From Alyssa E., (No City Provided,) USA"
SUBJECT: I have something you can put on your website! ;)
PUT THIS ON UR WEBSITE U F***** PIECES OF S***. you think its funny to joke around about Anorexia or Bulimia huh? Well F*** you i hope u and ur whole group of website ppl go to hell and i hope you think it is absolulty hilarious to joke about things like this and I hope you go on for the rest of your life thinking that "Anas" and "Mias" are "absurd" and have a "disease" lemme tell u this bud: you can call it WHATEVER yourİlittle heart desires, but ifİa person has a "disease" such as an eating 'disorder' you shouldnt be sayingİone word about it. im sureİyou know absolulty nothing about it, and if u had to go on a website to get all that info in the frst place (which imİSURE u did) u shouldntİbe writing about it ANYWAY.İi dont even knowİWHO i am sending this e-mail to but i hope who ever wrote that one entry sees this and i hope you get a 'disease' like that some day too and realize why the hell me and a million other people out there are so pissed off at YOUR site, or entry, orİWHATEVER. and justİsome friendly information for you, do you think people with eating disorders give a shit about whut guys think about thier bodies? ppl dont get ed's cuz they wish guys would think they look sexier or w.e, they get them cuz sometimes they want them, andİsometimes they just cant help getting them, but either way, getting them or not getting them has NOTHING to doİwith the fact that we want guys to be attracted to us or w.e the hell you think. in a world of anorexia or bulimia you are way too stuck in your ownİthoughts and what your thinking about to care about what guys think about you. pplİwant to be super skinny to please THEMSELVES. we dont giv 2 shits about guys. so.....encase ur thinkin we do it to please u GUYS .....wishful thinking. whatever. you have no life anyway to even be writing about that shit if u think its so stupid. and i apologize if this is the editor who didnt write the entry, but if u editied this and approved it for going on the site u have a problem. dont even writeİme back cuz u make meİsick to my stomach.İhm maybe ill go throw up now. wana put that on ur site too? im sure it would really entertain the public. rot in hell.
STUART ALTMAN RESPONDS: In this week's RDR column.
via e-mail.