I did it!

I've been a bit peeved at some things that I read in circulated print. Like fully written profanities. And then today I scanned an article in a parenting magazine about talking to adolescents about sexuality. It positively notes that only half of the adolescents engage in sexual activity. Then it encourages parents to tell kids to wait until they are adults to ward off teen pregnancy and the spread of STDs.

Like adults are immune to those side effects, too.

What ever happened to abstinence??

I don't remember the name of the parenting magazine, but we are subscribers to the other one (the one that swears). So with a few clicks of the mouse and some googling, I wrote the below letter to the editor to the magazine editors of Outside.


Easy on the Swears

I enjoy reading your magazine. I especially like the outdoor vacation ideas, the focus on living greener, and the active lifestyle of the people highlighted.

While reading a recent article, in which Harrison Ford is quoted about how he likes to get lost, profane language (f------) was written out fully in one of his quotes. There was another article in that same issue that used full profanities (G--d---). I recall another issue that was printed just a couple of months ago with profanities fully written.

Even though Outside is a hobby magazine, it should follow commonly accepted guidelines for publicly printed materials. The AP Stylebook recommends replacing the letters of the offensive word with hyphens, using only an initial letter (see copied material below). I would appreciate it if the Outside editors adhered to that recommendation. I do not like to subscribe to magazines that contain profanities and vulgarities.

Thank you,
Angela Patterson