I get email
Back when I worked in television in the early 1980s, I reviewed hundreds of movies each year.
I had one fellow walk up to me and say, 鈥淚 disagree with your review of 鈥︹�� whatever the movie was.
I asked him if he liked that movie. He told me he hadn鈥檛 even seen it. He just wanted to let me know he disagreed with my review of it.
In other words, I鈥檓 assuming he didn鈥檛 like me.
That鈥檚 the life of anybody who happens to throw their opinions into the public square.
Even if some people may go overboard with their hostile criticisms, it goes with the territory.
Having written hundreds of political columns for the 缅北禁地 over the years, I鈥檝e certainly had my share of folks who鈥檝e disagreed with and agreed with my opinions.
Some of the emails I get are short and sweet.
In June 2022, 鈥淛im鈥� wrote, 鈥淎merica will not survive Biden.鈥�
Some fellow named 鈥淒onnie鈥� wanted to let me know that, 鈥淭rump won the 2020 election. Thanks,鈥� in November 2022 鈥� two years after he failed to be reelected.
That email was balanced out by one I got the day before from 鈥淔rank,鈥� who wrote: 鈥淛ust want to compliment you about today鈥檚 鈥楻ed Wave鈥� article as found in the 缅北禁地.鈥�
Last March, the piece I wrote about Fox News鈥� performance artist Tucker Carlson certainly stuck in the craw of one reader.
鈥淒arrell鈥� just had to email me and say, 鈥淟ike most political hacks you are going along cherry-picking phrases to fit your narrative.鈥�
Political hackery is a mighty strong accusation. I鈥檒l admit I cherry-pick stuff to fit my narrative. If I cherry-picked stuff that didn鈥檛 fit my narrative 鈥� there鈥檇 be no narrative. Not good.
But 鈥淒arrell鈥� continued: 鈥淗ope you don鈥檛 take this personally (Do you mean when you called me a political hack?), I鈥檓 sure you are a fine person. I read all your commentary no matter what the topic. You did write this whole article and didn鈥檛 mention Trump once,鈥� he concluded.
There. I got points for not mentioning Donald Trump in that column.
Sometimes sarcasm helps email writers make their points. 鈥淛ames鈥� wrote, 鈥淣o Hunter laptop or how about Nancy鈥檚 gay hubby or sleepy Joe story to start out the year? Dems are all angels.鈥�
I鈥檒l plead guilty to all of those charges. I would never write about any of those things. I won鈥檛 spend time satisfying Fox News鈥� fever dreams.
There are some very nice emails. 鈥淛ohn鈥� wrote, 鈥淭his email should have been sent several years ago. I do enjoy your expertly written columns.鈥�
I don鈥檛 know about them being 鈥渆xpertly written.鈥� But I鈥檓 certainly thankful 鈥淛ohn鈥� enjoys them.
Somebody named 鈥淢ark鈥� emailed me to let me know, 鈥淵ou obviously have a high distaste for Donald. That鈥檚 OK. Following you for years it is clear you buy into every attempt to take him (and his family) down.鈥�
I don鈥檛 agree with 鈥淢ark.鈥� Except for how he ended that email. 鈥淚 will continue to read your articles. Who knows, maybe someday you will show that you are a fair person. BUT (his all caps, not mine) I won鈥檛 hold my breath.鈥�
If you鈥檙e reading this Mark, or anybody else for that matter, please take a deep breath and let it out. Breathing doesn鈥檛 cost anything.
Some fellow named 鈥淛oe鈥� or 鈥淛oey鈥� has sent me some rather questionable emails.
He looks at my picture, then he blasts away.
He wrote, 鈥淚鈥檒l give you a little advice you racist, you seem to be smearing a lot of white people in this column, but you鈥檝e been a racist all your life just like your soul brothers Louis Farrakhan, Jackson, Sharpton, just to name a few.鈥�
But for each of those kinds of emails, there are always those I cherish, like the one from 鈥淕eorge鈥� who says he has Ph.D. 鈥淭hank you for what you are doing for our area in our local newspaper. We are fortunate to have someone of your caliber and experience writing for the 缅北禁地.鈥�
Edward A. Owens is a multi-Emmy Award winner, former reporter, and anchor for Entertainment Tonight, and 50-year TV news and newspaper veteran. E-mail him at freedoms@bellatlantic.net.