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[August 29th, 2007]

THE THEORY OF THE WHAMBY CLASS

Ethan Smith had some funny points [“Kvetchfest,” WW , Aug. 15, 2007], but more more annoying than hippie-punks, who are actually kind of endearing, are the hippie-yuppies who populate half of Portland especially in places like Laurelhurst and Sellwood. These places are also crowded with “whambies,” so-called-Indie artists who belong to the leisure class and have very similar values to the hippie-yuppies. The class mentioned by Thorstein Veblen.

The Swedeophilia is a typical symptom of a whamby. The proof is that whamby spokesman and trend spotter Stephen Malkmus never tires of mentioning something Swedish related every time he is interviewed, as well to mention every hot spot in Portland where whambies live.

Whambies can also be pseudo-punk like The Thermals.

Let us recall what the wise man of working-class Salford U.K. said about Swedes. Mark E. Smith from the band the Fall said in an interview that to him Swedes are crypto-pagan Nazis into health, banning smoking and promoting liberated sex.

The real Portland lies in places like Kenton and Felony Flats, places that are pretty whamby-free and that carry a Hobohemian tradition from the verse of Walt Curtis to the character represented by River Phoenix in the movie My Own Private Idaho .

The eccentric Portland vibe comes from the underclass that was here before the hippie-yuppies and whambies arrived from elsewhere.

Alan Pocic
Northeast 22nd Avenue

TAKE A HAIKU

The first kvetch haiku in the Aug. 22 letters [“I see a snowflake/ May turn into a blizzard/ Cancel school again”] is classic. Not only structurally sound, but it deals with a specific season. The second? [“How great, I deadpan/ Greeted by blank stare; sarcasm/ can’t fly in Portland”]

The first line is five
Next are seven syllables
Eight is not haiku

Randy Hunt
Via kvetch@wweek.com

Editor’s note: Thanks for the correction in 5-7-5, Randy. We did notice the break from form, but we thought a well-curled lip might be able to pronounce “sarcasm” in only two syllables.

CORRECTIONS

A Murmur last week about a Bureau of Labor and Industries complaint involving Lewis&Clark College and Peter Cookson, the dean at Lewis&Clark Graduate School of Education and Counseling, gave an incorrect explanation for the complaint’s closure. The state agency dismissed the case because it found insufficient evidence to support the complainant’s claim against Lewis&Clark, which had taken what was considered immediate corrective action.

Also, in last week’s Schooled! special section, we referred to Marylhurst University as a for-profit institution. It is in fact a nonprofit. We regret the errors.