Letters

THE TRUTH ABOUT WOMEN'S BODIES

"When does your issue come out on typical men, featuring naked male bodies? I'd like a little beefcake too!" KATHY PTACIN Wauwatosa, Wis.

Three cheers for "The Real Truth About the Female Body"--the most informative, most sensible and most enjoyable piece on gender issues I've seen in a very long time [THE SEXES, March 8]. Barbara Ehrenreich, in her delightful way with words, punctures stereotypes right and left, revealing new subtleties in the ever fascinating dual sexuality of our common humanity. RICHARD L. BRUBAKER Chicago

Even though they may now be calling themselves "femaleists," they're still singing the same old feminist refrain: "We're not inferior to men. If anything, we're superior (so stop oppressing us by forcing us into outdated, limiting sex roles, you chauvinist men)!" Enough already! Instead of wasting time and energy exploding what remains of the old sex-role stereotypes, let's move on to the more difficult and important task of creating new, updated sex roles. Do we really need to determine who actually did the hunting in prehistoric times or prove that women have it in them to be just as promiscuous as men? ELLEN WEISMAN STRENGER Voorhees, N.J.

Next time, tell us how a woman's brain works. RICHARD R. HOFSTETTER Plainfield, Ind.

Your cover lines showed a typical bias: "The latest research...reveals that women are tougher, stronger and lustier that anyone ever thought." Anyone? Some men, perhaps. Women have always known these facts. KEITHA LEONARD Boulder, Colo.

We women have never really rejoiced about the elegance, the subtleties and the extraordinariness of our being. Men, individually and collectively, have always known the real truth about the female being. And they have been guarding this secret for some time, even going to war to protect it. If we replace the word "body" with "being" when discussing both women and men, we can expand our attempts to truly understand each other's identity. JEANNE BELOVITCH Boston

Thank you for letting readers know that women are special but men aren't bad. Women aren't a weaker sex but, as you said, a separate one. It's extremely refreshing to read an article that points out qualities in one gender without bashing the other. LAUREN KOTT Lakewood, Colo.

God help us! Americans have finally discovered the female of the species! JOHAN W. VIS Tokyo

Woman sharing man's genetic predisposition toward hunting, humping and brawling? Sounds like the female anthem for the new millennium might go something like "I am woman--Hear me grunt, belch and scratch." DON HOLLEY Lafayette, Calif.

Did you get your ideas from watching Xena: Warrior Princess? You say we are finding out so many new things about women, but there's really not much to hang your hat on here. If science doesn't back you up, you can just say science must be wrong! If reason doesn't back you up, no problem; women have for too long been held down by reason. You didn't allow for the chemistry between men and women, what happens when they get together. Without this essential chemistry, your theories fizzle. T. PAIGE DALPORTO Charlton Heights, W.Va.

Ehrenreich's discussion of female aggression is well supported by a growing body of cross-cultural literature that describes women's culturally institutionalized use of aggression, which may include physical violence. In some cultures female aggression in its various manifestations is considered an essential element of womanliness. In the U.S., the terms woman and aggression, when used together, often imply either female pathology or female victimization. These cultural scenarios deprive women of their heroic accomplishments. H.B. KIMBERLEY COOK Cultural Anthropologist Simi Valley, Calif.

Plaudits to TIME for the riveting report. From the time of Abraham, the Jews have traced their lineage through the female, and many cultures worldwide are dominated by women. Jamaica is a veritable matriarchal society that has the potential to become a model for the world. It boasts a national heroine: "Nanny," leader of the insurgent Maroons, military tactician and chieftain, who outsmarted the British in the 18th century. Ehrenreich's compelling "grandma hypothesis"--that children do better with a grandmother figure on the scene--is alive and well in Jamaica. VALERIE FACEY Kingston, Jamaica

Comparing men and women is like comparing beer and wine. The two are worlds apart. Yet narrowing the differences and balancing the scale were always at the top of the feminist agenda. It's heartening to know that a new level of thinking is coming around--the "femaleist" approach. That's the way to go. Of course, men and women are different. You betcha, and aren't I glad! JUNAINA SAULAT Karachi

Finally, books about women by women. Now if we could only replace the testosterone-laden politicians and ceos with these enlightened beings, the world might lose some of its tribal and violent ways. Should I hold my breath? DON RICHARDS Edmonton, Alta.

What's with you, guys? You publish a cover story about how strong women are. But then you proceed to "honor" us by putting pictures of nude women throughout the story. And your table-of-contents listing for the story has the title "What Little Girls Are Made Of." I was hoping my daughter's generation would be free of this bias. SANDY KOGUT Montreal

DICAPRIO IN THE PARK

Your article on Leonardo DiCaprio's filming of The Beach in Thailand's Khao Yai National Park [CINEMA, March 1] was one-sided. You showed an absolute disregard for the environmental issues raised by concerned groups. I am sorry DiCaprio may have had his reputation damaged. However, once he and the film crew are gone, will the precedent they set by filming in a national park make future projects there much more palatable, thus endangering the fragile balance inherent in coastal environments? LISA BEAVERS Misawa, Japan

SAVING INDONESIA

Re your article "The Committee to Save the World" [BUSINESS, Feb. 15]: I have been wondering how Fed Chairman Alan Greenspan, Treasury Secretary Robert Rubin and Deputy Treasury Secretary Larry Summers could take steps to rescue the rest of the world, including Russia, South Korea, Brazil and Thailand, but not Indonesia. The loans from the IMF and the World Bank have not been enough to stop massive layoffs. Ailing banks, high interest rates and many other problems still exist. If our country falls, the rest of the world will feel the effect. If these three men can help save Indonesia, then they really are the Committee to Save the World. JOHN SIMON Jakarta

RIGHTS OF CHILDREN

With reference to the article "Tourists Who Prey on Kids" [CRIME, Feb. 15], ECPAT International, a nongovernment group committed to ending commercial sexual exploitation of children, would like to explain why extraterritorial laws are essential for protecting the rights of children. Under the 1989 Convention on the Rights of the Child, children are guaranteed the right to physical and moral integrity. In 1996, 122 governments, including the U.S., committed themselves to eradicate sexual abuse of children. We sincerely hope that the American government and citizens will continue to implement the 1994 law, which allows for prosecution of Americans who sexually abuse children in other countries. Children are our future. They need a safe and dignified childhood no matter where they live. MUIREANN O BRIAIN EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR ECPAT International Bangkok

A LESSON TO ALL HATE GROUPS

Your article "A Life For A Life" about the racial-murder trial in Jasper, Texas, put me on the verge of tears [NATION, March 8]. My heart went out to the families of both dragging victim James Byrd Jr. and his killer John William King. But bravo to the Jasper community for being strong in the face of evil and bigotry. Justice was served with King's being convicted of murder and sentenced to death by lethal injection. This should be a lesson to all hate groups, white and black. Americans want a change. If you want to hate, hate each other, and leave us alone. If you want to kill for initiation, kill each other, and leave us alone. KARMEN R. ALEXANDER Miami

Byrd wasn't the first victim of racial murder, and he won't be the last. We still have a long way to go. NED BYRNE Weymouth, Mass.

It is a shame one man had to die like an animal, and the animal who killed him is getting off with a humane death. I think real justice would be better served if King were killed slowly. STEVEN M. DRUCKER Omaha, Neb.

NOT LIKELY TO POSE A HAZARD

We were dismayed by the many extremely misleading claims made in your article "Poisonous Plastics" [HEALTH, March 1]. Numerous independent scientists have joined ranks with government agencies in concluding that the plastic softener used in medical devices is unlikely to pose a cancer hazard to humans.

This softener has been used for more than 40 years with no validated scientific evidence of adverse health effects in people. The Consumers Union study you cited found that migration levels of the softener used in food wrap are actually 1,000 times lower than the dose levels at which any health effect was observed in laboratory animals.

In fact, according to our own estimates, a 150-lb. adult would have to eat more than 1,000 lbs. of cheese a day, every single day, to reach the observable effect level that was found in laboratory testing. To represent this one-sided advocacy as a health story was a disservice to your readers. COURTNEY M. PRICE VICE PRESIDENT Chemical Manufacturers Association Arlington, Va.

Your article used selective citation of the facts, disregarded contradictory science and omitted nonsupportive sources. The fact is, vinyl medical products have been used safely for more than 40 years. They have been subjected to decades of testing, and they have consistently delivered reliable service under the most demanding conditions, such as cardiac surgery, blood transfusions and kidney dialysis. You should have quoted the Food and Drug Administration on this issue. The FDA does not see this as a matter of pressing concern, nor do many other medical authorities whose views were not included in this piece. MARK A. SOFMAN MANAGER OF INDUSTRY AFFAIRS Vinyl Institute Washington

CLARIFICATION

TIME regrets that our report on concerns about plastics did not include the observations of scientists and public health groups that have found no significant risk of human health effects from the use of plastic softeners. We should have made it clear that the fears about ill effects are countered by strong evidence to the contrary.

EVIL ISN'T CANCELED OUT

Director Elia Kazan is like Nazi filmmaker Leni Riefenstahl: a great artist who did bad political deeds [CINEMA, March 8]. His art doesn't cancel out the evil he did in naming names of people who were involved with the Communist Party. Your writer Richard Schickel made the wrong argument in favor of Kazan's honorary Oscar. Schickel stated that Kazan's films are so good that they cancel out his misdeeds, saying history resists easy moralizing. The right argument is that Oscar should be about great art and cinematic achievement, and Kazan deserves the Oscar for that reason. MITCH GART Bedford, Mass.

Kazan named my father, filmmaker Leo Hurwitz, before the House Un-American Activities Committee. Those who were named before the committee as having been communists had their careers ruined. Was Kazan a great director? Without a doubt. But should he be awarded a special Oscar? Although my father was not called before HUAC, the mention of his name by Kazan and others was enough to end his career in television and studio films for more than 10 years. Thousands of others were victimized by those with whom Kazan actively sided. What might their achievements have been had they not been named? TOM HURWITZ Cinematographer of Dancemaker New York City

Biblical precedent suggests a compromise for the Kazan award dilemma. Present the great director with an Oscar that has a head, torso and legs of gold but feet of clay. J. DANIEL JOHNSON Camden, N.J.

REDESIGNS FOR NISSAN

In "Nissan Calls For A Tow" [BUSINESS, March 1], your readers were given a blurred snapshot of our company. Some of the positive steps we've taken were overlooked. Over the past year, we have restructured the way we do business in North America, and we are making substantial progress. We agree with your assessment that Nissan's new Xterra suv is "hot," but it is hardly "alone." By March 2000, Nissan will have redesigned virtually all its vehicles, including the flagship Maxima. We have a solid lineup of cars and trucks, a strong group of dealers and a parent company committed to the U.S. market. Nissan has been here for 40 years, and we're only planning to get better and stronger. MICHAEL J. SEERGY VICE PRESIDENT AND GENERAL MANAGER Nissan North America Carson, Calif.

I bought a Nissan 200SX in 1979 and never learned to live with its rear end, which fishtailed all over the highway in slick and rainy weather. And the astronomical cost of replacement parts finally finished whatever predilection I had for Japanese cars. WILLIAM ORR Picayune, Miss.

READY TO RUN?

Hillary Clinton would make a superb Senator [NATION, March 1] should the electorate of Arkansas choose to bestow the honor upon her. Representing New York, however, would be contortionism in true Clintonesque style. She has not shoveled New York snow or paid New York taxes. She has not earned the right to represent the people of New York. STEPHEN P. SCHAEFER Rochester, N.Y.

BRINGING BACK HO CHI MINH

California shopkeeper Truong Van Tran's display of a poster of Viet Cong leader Ho Chi Minh may be insensitive [AMERICAN SCENE, March 8], but he is perfectly within his rights to do so. Those Asian Americans who harassed and attacked Tran should remember just how generous their American neighbors must have been in accepting and tolerating them and the customs they brought from their Asian homeland. An individual's freedom of peaceful expression, even when used to promote unpopular thoughts, must be protected. FRANK S.C. CHANG Los Angeles

On behalf of my fellow veterans who can no longer speak, I ask those who back Tran's freedom of expression not to confuse free speech with acts of treason and inciting a riot. The communists are very adept at creating unrest and then using our laws to further their cause. JERRY MAZENKO Garden Grove, Calif.

MOUSEKETEER WHO MADE GOOD

At first I laughed after reading your item about my husband Bobby Burgess, which labeled him a "Bad Mouseketeer" because he spent 21 years dancing on TV's Lawrence Welk Show [PEOPLE, March 8]. I think you actually meant to include him on your "Good Mouseketeer" list. Bobby joined the Lawrence Welk Show in 1961 and has always been proud of it. The show became a top syndication pioneer in 1982, and reruns can still be seen. Bobby's association with the show is definitely a "good" thing. No, it's more: it's wunnerful! KRISTIE BURGESS, MOUSEKEWIFE Los Angeles