Happy Pride Weekend! I’ve been watching the parade, hanging out with friends, and going to the festival. Previous years, I took tons of photos, but this year, I tweeted like mad, observing the parade and some other thoughts. Here are some Pride survival tips I cam up while hanging out at Filter Coffeehouse on University Avenue. I wish I came up with them sooner, but they’re all common sense. And we all know what happens to common sense in real life. These tips still apply tomorrow and will help you in any city, so here they are:
July 17th, 2010
17
Jul 10
Sincerely, My Dear
The awful catchphrase “I wish you well” got me thinking about some other not-so-sincere wordings in the English language. I didn’t have to look too much further from what’s used in letter writing. First, we often salute the intended reader as “Dear,” whether we feel that way about the person or not. Those close to us, such as family members or significant others, really are “Dear” to us. However, this salutation is also used to address strangers and acquaintances, such as professors, administrators, editors, and managers who have our resumés/CV’s in their hands. I may totally hate the person I’m writing to, but it’s culturally appropriate to begin the letter with “Dear ———.” With writing to various dignitaries, such as the Queen of England or the British Ambassador to the United States, I could use a salutation without “Dear,” but the likelihood of writing such letters for me are extremely slim. For the most part, I must pretend to really like the people I must write letters to.
