'Ooops! ... I Did it Again'

Sorry. That's all I've really got left to say. A few weeks ago we ran a feature on the Tuesday Concert Series in People's Park. Included within the article were some disparaging remarks directed towards inhabitants of the Kirkwood staple. \nMe, with my firmly established yet highly detatched sense of irony, found the remarks funny at first. Upon going to press, I realized that I'd made a huge error in judgment. In wake of the story running, I've been bombarded by outcries of a few park regulars. And rightfully so, the comments, while true to some circles, had no place in a news article. Had the piece been a review, the writer would've been more than welcome to include his societal commentary. As it was not. Such remarks (while not libelous were certainly in bad taste) should have been stricken. In my pursuit to make the Weekend an edgier, more forward-thinking magazine, I actually took us back a few pegs.\nWe look simply to entertain our audience, not offend or besmirch them. Comments relating to a lack of bodily hygiene or references to "gutter trash" (such as those found in "Concert series redefines perceptions of People's Park") don't entertain, they simply foster stereotypes and demoralize valued members of our community. This, in fact, is not our goal. To those hurt by such remarks, you have my sincerest apologies.\nOpinions are like assholes, everyone's got one. While my writer would have been best served by keeping his views to himself in this particular scenario, we welcome the views of you, our valued readership. Good or bad, we want to hear what you think of the magazine. After all, it's the reader who keeps this publication running -- none of us would be here if it weren't for your interest. \nIf you dug Jake Bilinski's review of "The Shape of Things," shoot him an e-mail, let him know. If you thought Mike Tapscott's review of the most recent Apes album sucked (which it didn't, but I'm grasping for a hypothetical scenario), let him know. If you think I look like a complete and utter douchebag in my mug shot, e-mail me, and in all likelihood, I'll come to your house with a baseball bat -- just kidding. \nThe fact of the matter is, we love to hear from our readers. We thrive and improve through your criticism and praise. Often, we're so busy skewering others, that when the gun's turned on us, it's weird -- weird but useful. If you want to comment about anything seen in this or any other issue, please e-mail us at weekend@idsnews.com. Just do so in a timely fashion -- it's far more difficult to remedy mistakes properly if you contact us three weeks after the fact. \nPeople's Park regulars, if you see me passing through your hallowed grounds, stop me, talk to me, bum a cigarette or pocket change off me, offer me lewd sexual favors or don't. Just please don't hit me... I look goofy enough as it is. I won't pass judgment upon you and hopefully you'll extend me the same courtesy. In all likelihood, you won't want to talk to me. As chance would have it, you've probably encountered a bar of soap far more recently than I have.\nDespite the flowery writing seen thus far, we still haven't lost our edge. Look for us to continue pushing the envelope. Mores and societal conventions be damned, both today and in future issues as well. We'll strive to be considerate and fair, but we will not resort to pandering -- we will not be neutered. Take this for what you will. If it troubles you, let me know. Something may be done about it and something may not, but at least we're communicating.\nHippies. Bums. Wiggers. Niggers. Rednecks. Spics. Kikes. Fags. Dykes. Micks. Polacks. Krauts. Limeys. Wops. Chinks. Slants. Beaners. 'Ricans. Yuppies. Dorks. We're all the same person. Sterotypes such as these have no place in this magazine, let alone the real world. While the aforementioned article didn't stoop to such racism, classism or general homophobia -- it didn't do a whole lot to deconstruct such preconceptions (albeit lesser ones) either. Here at the Weekend, you're all valued.