First off, I am sincerely sorry that the movie Easy A hurt your feelings and made you feel targeted; that it actually brought you to tears is also sad to hear. The premise of your article, however, that the movie is a "brutal, ignorant and disgustingly heavy-handed attack on Christianity" that brings Christians "to the slaughter" seems heavily overstated and more reflective of your own insecurities or preconceptions about society's present culture war than the movie itself.
After skimming through parts of the film online, it seemed in spite of your feral language to be little more than an adaptation of an extremely successful historic novel (Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter) into the modern romantic comedy genre with catty high school gossipers in the place of steely-eyed Puritans. The film, just like the book, treats issues such as sexual morality, Christian sin, and persecution. Given the history and present culture of the United States, the absence of Bible-thumping Christians would've been glaring in this type of social drama. So too, as you say, would be the absence of more moderate Christians, but that doesn't seem to be the case here.
Perhaps I am going too far, but it just seemed natural to assume that everyone in the film besides those who were bitterly attacking the protagonist were in fact moderate Christians themselves.
And if that's the case, ignorant though well-meaning statements like, "I [Alanna Smith] accept everyone and so do most other Christians I know. It's in our doctrine, for crying out loud," were never really necessary to begin with.
I agree that the movie's character development was lacking, but proscribe that more to genre than any anti-Christian "agenda." Alanna, if you're looking for anti-religious prejudice in America, try wearing the scarlet 'A' of an Atheist - even here, around campus. Anti-Christian prejudice exists, but I'll be damned if this isn't a David and Goliath story.
-Mike Terreri, '12In response to Alanna Smith's Sept. 23 article.
On Sept. 23, I walked from the Interfaith Center where I heard [retired Col.] Ann Wright speak about her opposition to the Iraq War to the College Union to attend the Walter Harding Lecture. It was a pleasant walk past old and new buildings.
I was saddened to see students carrying guns and swords. I learned that they were playing a game called Humans vs. Zombies. I spoke to one student about playing with guns. I said he should be learning how to live in a peaceful world. He said that there will always be war. I said he should have hope that one day we could live in peace.
I looked up the rules for playing Humans vs. Zombies and the first safety rule stated that "no realistic looking weaponry" should be used.
If students need something to do in their free time your newspaper has several groups listed on the Goings On page. I would be glad to put folks in touch with groups that are working to promote peace.
-Lucille Kane, '60
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