To the Editor:
“Sparing a Thought for Absent Mothers,” by Amanda Hess (Critic’s Notebook, Jan. 15), was brilliant and heartfelt and let us in to her own challenges as a mother. Bravo.
Here’s my problem with “The Lost Daughter” and the other stories cited in her article. It’s all about upper-middle-class, privileged, usually white women who have the money, the space and the support to get lost. This is a frustrating fantasy for mothers who don’t have nannies, housekeepers, or husbands willing to fill in the gaps.
I was a single parent with limited support from my family, lunch coupons and after-school care. This article makes me feel guilty. Motherhood is a blessing, a gift, sometimes a curse — often fatiguing and maddening, but a job we do because of love, obligation and the ability to submerge our own egos for the sake of raising children who feel loved.
Felicia Carparelli
Chicago
16 Elite Schools are the subject of a Lawsuit
To the Editor:
Re “Top Colleges Accused of Colluding to Limit Financial Aid to Students” (news article, Jan. 11):
The potential for 16 Ivy League elite universities to be sued in an antitrust case. Finally to put an end to those schools’ corrupt “pay to play” admissions practices.
By taking advantage of an exemption from the antitrust laws, these schools promised not to consider an applicant’s financial-aid status or wealth in making admissions decisions. They do admit, however, that they will give admissions preference to the children of donors or simply wealthy people. Potential donors.
Legacy preferences at such schools are usually reserved for alumni who have given money. Harvard University’s study concluded that alumni children are most likely to lose their admissions advantage if the financial aid is applied for.
Since the students at the elite colleges and universities are preferred for the top jobs in America and since these schools select their students in part based on their families’ wealth or position, we have in effect created a hereditary aristocracy in the United States similar to that of titled personages in a monarchy. This must end.
Jonathan Zell
Columbus, Ohio
The writer is a lawyer.
The Heart of Christianity
To the Editor:
Re “Is Paganism Replacing Christianity?,” by Christopher Caldwell (Opinion guest essay, Jan. 3):
That humans have always been able to twist a doctrine of faith into something that serves their own ends doesn’t mean that there is no such thing as a pure faith. The heart of Christianity doesn’t require much. It is the Christ figure himself and his plain-spoken request of all of us to honor our obligation to each other: “Love one another as I have loved you.”
He treated the sick, the wounded, and the despairing wherever he found them. He was open to all people, including adulteresses, lepers, and Samaritans. He turned to the criminals hanging on crosses either side of the one on which he was dying and said, “Today you will be with me in Paradise.”
Notwithstanding the unfortunate rigidities and intolerances that came to be associated with the Christian faith, there remains at its core in the person of Christ the best and most shining example we have of pure mercy and love’s power to heal.
Margaret McGirr
Greenwich, Conn.
Make Manufacturing ‘Cool’ Again
To the Editor:
Increased manufacturing in the United States is important for job growth and national security, as aptly discussed in “Made in America, Again” (Business, Jan. 7).
While innovations such as those made by the Port Gibson, Miss., garment factory mentioned in the article can lead to more jobs, today’s domestic manufacturing work force is not adequate in size or skill sets for current needs, let alone for future expected growth.
After generations of Americans witnessed the migration of well-paying manufacturing jobs to other countries, they’ve come to believe that such opportunities no longer exist here.
What’s needed is a coordinated effort to make manufacturing “cool” again and show that modern manufacturing jobs are exciting and, with the right vocational training, create a clear path to a good and fulfilling life.
As scientists and educators who develop innovative manufacturing technology, we must excite students about advanced manufacturing so that they see it as a great career option.
Gary Fedder
Pittsburgh
The writer is the director at Carnegie Mellon University’s Manufacturing Futures Institute.
Source: NY Times