No Squeamish Urban Liberals Here: Times Readers Up in Arms About Women Bearing Arms
The Times' liberal readership rises up in resentment about pictures of handguns for women: "9 accused us of glamorizing violence and guns....4 suggested we were pandering to N.R.A.-member readers...."
Published: 4/4/2011 2:17 PM ET
If the Times isn't a liberal newspaper, then why do so many humorless liberals complain when it makes a lighthearted detour off the P.C. reservation?
The retooled letters-to-the-editor page contains an amusing revelation of the delicate liberal sensitivities of the paper's readership.
The Times flagged a variety of complaints about a feature in the previous issue, showing nine handguns for women, "purse pistols" that writer Chee Pearlman described as "flashier, more feminine and easier to pop into a handbag."
The outcry, according to the Times:
52 messages objected to the magazine's page on purse pistols.
9 accused us of glamorizing violence and guns.
8 contained some variant of the phrase "what were you thinking?"
4 suggested we were pandering to N.R.A.-member readers.
2 said it was too soon after the Tucson shootings to feature a page like this.
