Gardeners’ Questions – a ‘fattist’ attack?
Dear Sir, re the Voice, issue 72, Gardeners’ Questions: this ‘Dave Kent’ is unimaginative, lame and totally unfunny. If he aspires to be a Monty Python successor, then he is more pitiful than his humour. Twice, ‘post mortem’ is associated with weight (post mortem being ‘after death’). Are you aware that a very big movement is underway amongst people to have ‘fattist’ attacks classed as ‘hate crime’, such as homophobia and racism? My question is ‘Which idiot thought it proper to publish crap such as this?’
Matthew Brooks, Roosevelt Court, St Leonards.
As the editor of the ‘Voice’, it is my responsibility to decide on its content. So I am ‘the idiot’ who decided to publish Dave Kent’s piece. I take your comments seriously and they have caused me to question whether the article was indeed unsuitable. It certainly did not strike me that way when I first read it. Having now re-read it I can honestly say that it does not seem to be ‘fattist’ or any kind of ‘hate crime’ and cannot be compared to homophobia or racism. I accept that you were upset by this item and offer my apologies. I hope that it will not affect your future enjoyment of this magazine – John Humphries.