Norman Boucher wrote an excellent essay on the progress of African Americans and women in the last few generations. I was brought up short, however, by his last sentence: "It's enough to put a chink in the armor of one's cynicism." Will there be a follow-up article on Asian Americans? Was a pun intended? Or did Boucher overlook his inclusion of a potentially derogatory term (chink). Yes, I'm familiar with the term a "chink in the armor," but it still brought me up short. Who edits the editor? I guess it's we linguaphiles. Keep up the good work!
Hal Bander '58
Peoria, Ariz.
hjbander@hotmail.com
Mr. Bander can rest assured that no one at the BAM goes unedited, even me. My copy is reviewed by my fellow editorial staff members, who exact their revenge on it for last-minute assignments, heavy-handed editing, insensitivity toward brilliant article ideas, and other brutalities routinely perpetrated by the guy in charge.
As for Mr. Bander's perception of unconscious—or is it preconscious?—prejudice in my word choices, he should examine his own more closely. When he says my sentence brought him up short, is he not revealing his own antipathy toward those among us who are height-challenged? —Editor
