Calendar Letters: Much ado about the royal wedding

Waves of joy — and some derision — over the royal wedding

Regarding “More Like a Royal Escape Hatch” [May 17]: At last, an item about the wedding between Prince Harry and Meghan Markle that I didn’t skip over after reading a few sentences. My thanks to Times TV critic Lorraine Ali for her percipient take. She nicely summed up the inane obsession: “The renewed interest in British monarchy has as much to do with peering behind the brocade curtains at royal dysfunction and the erosion of power than with the majesty of the crown.”

Roberta Helms

Santa Barbara

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I found Ali’s column on the royal wedding to be offensive and downright snide. Why make people who are interested in the couple and the elaborate preparations sound like nostalgic airheads? I am not only old enough to remember that “fairy tale” wedding of Harry’s parents that Ali mentioned but also old enough to remember newscasts of the bombs dropping on London during World War II. People may not be seeking the old “simpler times” — maybe they would just like to enjoy some good news along with entertaining British pageantry.

Doris W. Hood

West Hills

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Your update on the Barbie franchise .. .er, the royal nuptials, was clever and hilarious. Thanks for all the great imagery (unicorns) and details (elderflower) that made the whole thing come so alive that we didn’t need to get up at 2 a.m. or even record it.

Walter Desmond

San Diego

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I doubt that men are consuming much of this wedding claptrap. However, doting fathers may take some of the blame for calling their daughters “princess” starting at an early age. Then, the fairy tales and Disney go to work, and, well, here we are.

Bob Carlson

Garden Grove

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We are not batty. We need relief from all the bad news, including your silly article. Weddings are happy times. Royal weddings even happier and rarer. We do not need your hot air about nothing.

Michele Segina

Los Angeles

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Ali’s article on royal romances was an enjoyable read. However, I implore her to get her facts straight when it comes to her representation of the protests on the Gaza border. She states, “Israeli Defense Forces were shooting scores of unarmed protesters on the Gaza Border.” The protesters used grenades, Molotov cocktails, slingshots, incendiary kites and burning tires.

Linda Goldfinger

Los Angeles

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In an article about the upcoming royal wedding, the description of the tragedy in Gaza as the death of 60 Palestinians as “a massacre” was as inaccurate as it was offensive. If Ali has a political opinion, it should be in the Opinion section.

Michael P. King

Los Angeles

An ‘accurate’ temperature

In “Ideas Burn Quickly at ‘451’” [May 19], Ali writes: “Democracy has been replaced by authoritarian rule. All books, music and art deemed ‘inappropriate’ are controlled by computers and/or robots. Free will is a thing of the past” ... “In ‘Fahrenheit 451,’ the government ministry justifies why it’s plied citizens with alternative versions of American history, ‘It’s full of truths people can’t handle, so best to rewrite it.’” What a chillingly accurate description of political correctness, although the operative word is “deplorable” rather than “inappropriate.”

Craig Lesly

Irvine

This ‘Family’ in on the joke

Regarding “Calendar Feedback” [May 20]: Letter writer Oscar Rosales’ comparison of the “Roseanne” reboot to the 1970s series “All in the Family” was missing a major difference. Norman Lear and the “All in the Family” cast were satirizing conservative bigots, while Roseanne Barr, with her current political stance, embraces such views.

Carol Spector

Ventura

Quick convert to Prine fandom

Regarding “Prine Is Back” [May 17]: My wife is a big John Prine fan, while I had never gone to any of his shows. We went last night and I thoroughly enjoyed his concert. The rendition of “Sam Stone” and accompanying commentary brought tears to the eyes of this old Vietnam vet who fortunately made it through just fine and went on to have a successful professional career and hold elective office.

Former Mayor Bob Holmes

Manhattan Beach

19th century photo method

Regarding “Snapshots of American History” [May 20]: What is a “carte-de-visite” from the caption of the Harriet Tubman photo

Tom Meites

Chicago

Editor’s note: “Carte-de-visite” refers to a form of photographs printed on cards that were popular from the late 1850s through the 1870s.

Heck of a time with ‘Middle’

I agree with everything in Times television critic Robert Lloyd’s column on the series “The Middle” [“Saying Bye to a Reliable Friend,” May 22]. I will miss the Heck family, particularly Charlie McDermott (Axl), who I’ve always thought is one of the funniest characters and underappreciated young actors on TV. I consider them dear and will continue to welcome them through reruns, the way I’ve taken out old videos of my own family’s shenanigans over the years.

Dede Brink

Newport Coast

‘Reprehensible’ joke on rhinos

Regarding Scott Hilburn’s comic “The Argyle Sweater” [May 21]: The line from the doctor in the lower panel talking to the rhino — “You don’t need glasses, but I am prescribing a hacksaw” — is disgustingly reprehensible. Rhinos are endangered. I hope Hilburn and the editors at The Times have the common sense and courage to apologize.

Mark Shapiro

Los Angeles

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