Negative feedback most entertaining

Local columnist

link Wendel Sloan

Last week, I was in Dallas for a routine medical appointment, so for my fifth anniversary of pecking out this column (with three or four fingers) I’m letting readers do the heavy lifting by sharing a sampling of feedback.

Positive comments far outweigh the negative, but the hostile ones are more entertaining.

• When I wrote that a loving deity would never put the fear of God into us for not bowing to others’ dogma, a woman responded, “I feel kinda sorry for you … a disgusting and immoral liberal in good company with Al Jezerra.”

• An elderly man emailed, “People choose their eternal dwelling place! Personally I have chosen mine! YOU will or have chosen yours.”

• A Portales businessman chimed in, “You must accept Him; there is no other way … The choice is up to you. Choose wisely.”

(I may choose to take my money elsewhere.)

In a column about a former local openly gay professor who said he encountered surprisingly little homophobia on the High Plains, a Clovis luminary responded:

• “All I got out of this is a large load of @#$%^&*+. I can assure you, most people … don’t give a #$%& about your opinions.”

When I suggested it seemed a bit extreme to compare Obama and Hitler, a reader commented:

• “Are you hiding your head in the sand?”

• A relative contributed, “You’ll have to excuse Wendel.”

• One critic opined, “Your (sic) such a lousy writer.”

A young accountant from Portales, now living in the Dallas area, emailed:

• “No one cares about your ignorant, ‘uniformed’ careless small-town know-nothing opinions.”

(I moved to Portales from Dallas without a uniform.)

• A supporter responded, “Keep up the good work. If your columns rattle his cage that much, you are doing it right!”

Another supporter responded:

• “Some people around here say things I just can’t believe. Sometimes I think, ‘There are no words’ to describe some of the comments.”

One of my favorite compliments was:

• “I always enjoy reading your columns. You write like people talk.”

Contact Wendel Sloan at [email protected]