Interesting reader mail

[cupcake_goth]

This is one of the emails that turned up in the Gothic Charm School inbox this morning:

It was recently brought to my attention by way of a post on one of my forums that
you will be holding a tea party in a cemetery to celebrate your book release.

I just wanted to say that I think this is highly disrespectful and tacky. And before
you judge me to be some uptight soccer mom who came across your site, let me tell
you that I am in your target audience. I am into both romantic goth style and spent
a good number of years this way and also and into lolita street fashion. Your book
is something that I would have picked up in a store to keep on my bookshelf/coffee
table and encouraged my friends to buy as well. However I don't think I will be
doing anything of the sort. I am saddened to see that you show such little respect
for the people of the cemetery.

Hmmm. I need to double-check some of my sources, but from what I remember, the big public/non-churchyard cemeteries were, to some extent, intended as large public parks. Or at least, they were certainly treated that way for a very long time. I am planning on answering her, but like I said, I need to check my sources and do some more research.

Behind the cut-tag, my to-do list. Not terribly exciting, I realize, but good heavens, I need one.


- Laundry.
- Shorten one of the hoop skirts so it's the right length for under the stripy skirt mineke made me.
- Figure out what I'm wearing for the course of the NYC trip.
- Write an actual answering questions -type GCS post.
- Make sure all the ingredients are ready for tonight's dinner. (Cobb salad, which means oh right, I need to cook bacon.)
- DYE HAIR.
- Aspirin mask.
- EMAIL AGENT.
- Send Bluejay more fic links. (muah-ha-ha-ha!)
- Send thank you mail to Miss K. at Aromaleigh for mentioning the GCS book on her blog. DO NOT browse the Aromaleigh site, as I do not have spending money for makeup at the moment.
- Upper arm exercises. (Now if they'd just start showing some results soon, that would be lovely.)


::siiiiiiiiigh:: Don'wanna. Would rather nap, and watch movies with the Stroppy One.

Comments

[domestinatrix.livejournal.com]

I grew up in an older city in New York State with a beautiful Victorian cemetery that was definitely intended as a picnic site. Long after it fell out of fashion to have parties there on Sundays, everyone still went on tours of the beautiful older sections and freely wandered around the newer sections still currently in active use. When my Girl Scouts troupe went on our guided tour Mt. Hope Cemetery, one of the nice features pointed out to us was the beautiful drinking fountain in one of the popular picnic areas.

Can I ask what city this woman is writing to you from? I'm guessing it must be someplace with less history where she may not have learned that this used to be an absolutely normal, mainstream, and respectful use of cemeteries. Come to think of it, it seems like everyone I knew back East hung out in cemeteries at least now and then, no one ever left a mess or caused any trouble there. If anything, it's considered a nice way to keep the dead present in our lives, and to gently remind us "in the midst of life we are in death." I guess most people don't do that so much in some places, do they? I think she does have a valid concern, but it's just because she's ignorant.