Letters
Our listeners weigh in on grammar, gaffes in the edit room, small business owners and sunny beaches.
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TEXT OF LETTERS SEGMENT
Tess Vigeland: As we've been saying for weeks our inbox has been flooded with your questions about the financial crisis and how to navigate it, but you've also written in with your thoughts about our coverage. Time for your comments, compliments and complaints.
Several of you chided us on the title of our special show two weeks ago. We called it "Who can you trust?" Grammar 101, wrote Aaron Hoiland from St. Peter, Minnesota. "You" is the subject, he says. "Can trust" is the verb phrase. "Who/whom" should then be in the objective case. So we should have asked "Whom do you trust?" We were going for what you might call common usage, but consider our knuckles rapped.
Economist Chris Thornberg made an appearance on the show recently and guest host Scott Jagow asked him when might be a good time to buy a house:
Chris Thornberg: It's the right place, it's the right time, it's the right school district, because your wife won't shut up...
Oh no he didn't! Well, to be fair -- which apparently we weren't in the editing process -- he did say "or husband" right after that. But Betsey Levin of San Francisco had something to say about what went on the air:
Betsey Levin: I personally cringed, and then went straight to the computer. In my opinion, it was a huge gaffe on the part of the show to leave that comment in.
Valli Power of Trinity Center, California, had props for our conversation with three small business owners on last week's program. She says of our panel: "They reminded me that if everybody would disconnect themselves from the hysterical mode and begin to think creatively about what they really need as opposed to what some advertiser tells them they need ... then we can find our way out of the Wal-Mart/credit card morass and get through this. We'll come back smarter and stronger." Let's hope so.
And finally, cue the ukelele! In my recent feature about a high school econ class, teacher Ron Settle reminded his students that if he could predict the future of the financial world, he wouldn't be in the classroom; he'd be on a beach sipping Mai Tais.
Well, Neva Keres of Honolulu, Hawaii, called in with an offer.
Neva Keres: They wouldn't need a crystal ball to get to our beach and our Mai Tais, so come on down! Our tourism is off big time. Should we be handing out crystal balls with directions to Waikiki Beach?
Um... yes!
Comments
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From High Point, NC, 11/03/2008
In response to Betsey Levin's comment, I would like to encourage Marketplace to continue including statements of humor and genuine frankness. I respect Betsey's opinion that it was "cringe" worthy but completely disagree with her. I think we need to preserve what gentle humor is possible in economic news reporting. Betsey might be a bit more frugal with the "Gaffe" label, and a bit more eager in her search for a playful line.
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