By Matt Vernon
Editors, the Gauntlet,
Re: "Bad Kitty, can I buy a pack of smokes?" Jan. 18, 2001
I enjoy reading Headspin. I especially enjoyed this edition because it made me angry. The more I examine "Bad Kitty…" the more my shock and distaste over such a fallacious abuse of logic causes the words to completely lose meaning. It’s kind of like watching a midget-throwing contest; technically, midgets aren’t supposed to stick to walls, but hey–they do when you attach properties they aren’t supposed to have.
The kind of association tacked on to the new name of the convenience store appals me. The viewpoint portrayed is quite basically and overly wrong, and only fuels the damaging stereotype attached to feminists: that in order to make a stink, they’ll attach any kind of demeaning characteristic upon anything. The kind of leaps this argument makes can only be described as an elementary, illogical and non-sensical association of words.
To me the new name has absolutely no sexual connotations. For the sake of length, I won’t even go into the kind of associations that could be implied by such names as "Mac Hall," or even the title of the weekly article in question, "Headspin." Yet, these names are appealing and appropriate, and whether or not they apply indirectly to sexual connotations only seems to provide those with time on their hands something to fill it with.
The name "Bad Kitty’s Snack Emporium" was probably innocently conjured up based upon a witty play on the ever-popular Asian animation character, "Hello Kitty." Perhaps the article should be sent to the creators of "Hello Kitty." Sure. While we’re at it, we might as well try to ban anything that could possibly be associated with anything derogatory. Heck–let’s ban language all together. Let all knowledge be burned and obliterated under the maniacal gods of ignorance and association!
Please. Let’s get serious. In consequence of this brand of mistaken association, we lost a groovy named and had it replaced by the lame and unimaginative Stör. Let’s not get carried away and jump to conclusions, and finally come to the realization that if a name doesn’t directly apply to something sexually abusive, then it doesn’t apply at all.