Commercialising Druggies

We can partly understand Vladimir [unclear: Halama] response to "Caught up in the Web of [unclear: Sales] Addiction"; the hoax letters to George Antiel exposed in Salient a few weeks ago. Due to some oversight of the [unclear: Salient] staff the third letter and George's reply [unclear: to i] were not printed. These missing sections contained the most ridiculous tale [unclear: involving] a young man addicted to marijuana and what's more proud of it. (We are quoting from memory as we no longer have the clipping.)

Even so, other of Vladimir's criticisms [unclear: we] still cannot understand. Specifically....(a) He thinks it is we who are gullible [unclear: because] we laugh at the suggestion that taking [unclear: drugs,] (aspirin? alcohol? acid?)might cause [unclear: decided] preferences for long hair. (b) He fails to recognise that George Antiel makes out drugs to be the problem of "misguided" youngsters, and does not seem to realize they are not always "problems". This was the moralizing we most objected to. (c). Ironically, the way George edited the second letter, removing references to dark glasses and long sleeves for motives we questioned, the drug involved could just as [unclear: easily] be alcohol as heroin. Alcohol is also a drug of addiction. It is also very destructive. Remember that next time you drive home from a wine and cheese Vladimir. (d) George did well to advise people to take their problems to suitably qualified professionals but this does not excuse the fact that he himself writes at length on topics about which he is poorly informed. (e) We admit the question of the Sports Post's gullibility is not finally resolved by these hoax letters. However, we did suggest that the headlines indicated commercial exploitation of personal problems and the question we hoped to bring to people's attention was whether there is a link between the Sports Post's gullibility and commercial drive. Keep thinking.

Preferentially Anonymous (2).