ZENFORMATION MAIL: How Many People Hate Poor People and Cowboy Hats Anyway?

* NOTE - These are e-mails I've received via the Zenformation Professional. I reserve the right to NOT answer questions about my personal life but may answer them privately. I will only post e-mails and responses that specifically ask me to post a response; however, no advertising or hotlinking will be allowed. E-mail text is unedited (other than identifiers) and some content may be objectionable to some folks.

---

You know, just when I thought it was safe to go back into the water...

It's been a long time since I've gone through the ZenFo Pro e-mail. I had almost forgotten that I had the little Dear ZenFo Pro tab on the sidebar. I'm trying to get caught up this morning before my offline professional life gets too hectic (this time of year, that tends to happen)...

Poor People Don't Need Computers:

i hate people who advocate rewarding poor people for contributing nothing. why should my tax dollars go to giving free internet and computers to people when the vast majority of people who are online have to pay for it. if you don't have the money there's always hard work. The digital divide is overhyped and an nonisue. i already pay taxes to support libraries anyway. Don't you guys have computers people can use for free? Quit looking for a handout!

- New York, Feb. 24, 2006

Actually, those "poor people" are often working poor and contribute more than you think. Who the hell do you think actually cooks your food in restaurants, makes the clothes you wear, and fixes things when they break? In the Industrialized world, through some weird quirk of capitalism, the hardest working are usually the lowest paid.

Many libraries in the West offer some kind of public computer access, sure. But that doesn't mean that there's no digital divide or that the divide is a non-issue and it is certainly not "overhyped." - ZP

Why the Hell Would Anyone Go to Indiana?

okay so i'm pissed.i'm sitting in my marketing class and i'm reading your post about hangin out in fucking richmond with a bunch of lesbians and NOT getting laid which I think is funny because that's hard for a guy not to do. Kudos to you but why go to richmond to have a good time? maybe it's cuz I'm a buckeye girl, but hoosierville sucks. What's wrong with oxford? one of the things that pisses me off sometimes is when people trash this town and its not totally aweful to live in. i followed some of your links in the post and realized that you totally slammed miami in he previous post on going to richmond. we're not all rich white ppl down here!

- OXFORD, OHIO, Feb. 27, 2006

Hey, thanks for reading and the kudos. I appreciate that. Probably best not to read the blog while in class, though. I wouldn't want anybody to get called out by an angry prof for hanging out in Cyberspace in the middle of a lecture.

You're right. Oxford isn't a bad place to live, actually. It is a rather unique small town. But it's way too small, in many ways, and like most small college towns, students tend to view it from a different standpoint than the "townies." Have you ever stopped to wonder, for instance, why it is, exactly, what many non-student townsfolk think of the fact that the three main enterprises in Oxford's Uptown (main business district) are bars, sandwich shops, and tanning salons?

Sometimes, even the ZenFo Pro needs to get out and have some fun. - ZP

So I Take It This Guy Didn't Like Brokeback Mountain...

Cowboy hats are so gay. Flip the brim on a ball cap dude. Chicks dig that.

- CHICAGO, Feb. 21, 2006

Actually, my Stetson (as well as my brown Resistol) is rather asexual. Never bothered to ask my hat about its sexual orientation.

As for "chicks digging" the Kevin Federline look, keep on thinking that, chief. I've always been under the impression that the majority of women find the "flipped brim" look kinda, sorta unappealing. When I was younger, I did indeed flip the brim. But then a female friend of mine/image consultant pointed out that that look tended to convey a rather unflattering image - more sophisticated women see a ballcap cocked to the side and see a man who makes love like an epileptic jackhammer.

Some women may like that; most - I hope - do not. I'll stick with my Stetson, thank you very much. - ZP

A ha! A Librarian Question!

WHY IS IT I CAN'T FIND A SINGLE BOOK ON MY PAPER TOPIC IN MY COLLEGE'S LIBRARY ? ALL THE BOOKS ARE OUT OF DATE FOR MY PAPER TOPIC AND I CAN'T FIND ANYTHING WRITTEN AFTER 1969! PLEASE HELP

- ATLANTA, Jan. 29, 2006

Damn, I hope I'm not answering this question too late for it to be useful...

First, I'd recommend sitting down with a librarian at your institution. They should be able to help. While your academic library may not possess or be able to afford some of the materials you need, there's always InterLibrary Loan (ILL), state consortia, and online resources. Ask about all three of these options and I promise, you'll make some libby's day.

I'd also point out the dated materials problem. In libraries, materials are chosen, acquired, maintained, and discarded through a process known as collection development (a more technical definition here). There may be a legitimate reason for keeping old materials; this also might be a sign that a collection area is being neglected. Either way, if the current collection isn't helping you, there's always other options. - ZP

Am I the Hot Cowboy Librarian?

I was in [ZenFo Pro's] Library yesterday in the elevator an noticed that somebody had written something like the cowboy librarian is hot.
1. are uthe cowboy librarian their talking about?
2. if so does that must feel pretty cool, right?,
3. do you think its because of your site?

I also want to point out that i think its retarded that people around here can't figure out who you are. not hard, dude. you kind of stand out and i think people need to chill the fuck outwhen it comes to like sending you stupid emails. it makes those of us here at MU who are actually here to get an education look stupid.

Please post and please please please take out my address. i don't want hate mail and i'm just a person.

- OXFORD, OHIO, Feb. 26, 2006

No problem. I always appreciate honest e-mails, so you're posted and I've removed your personal contact information. For the record, I remove all names and e-mail addresses for people's privacy. I also purge all e-mails as soon as I read them as an added safeguard.

Yes, I'm aware of it. Too aware of it. My colleagues are convinced that it's referring to me, though there's at least one other librarian here who probably fits that description. It's actually embarrassing. There's nothing cool about having your coworkers tease you because somebody took a Sharpie to state property.

That's the most uncool part of it ... my library is, like most libraries, a public institution. Vandalizing municipal property isn't flattering - it costs taxpayers and my library money to clean up the mess.

I don't know if it was someone who reads this blog or not. I hope not. If it is, well, don't do that, dammit!