Phhwwooaarr! Finally, someone has the cojones to say what’s really going on with culture in this country: insipid average-ness and mind-numbing mediocrity (“Bonfire of inanities,” by Kate Carraway, City, Aug. 28). Our “cultural identity” consists of hoping no one will notice how dull we are, while pushing out anyone who might actually have talent.

We desperately need righteous, whip-smart, pull-no-punches pundits, and an art scene full of talented bitches who won’t lose their livelihood for pissing in the fireplace.

I hope EYE WEEKLY gives Ms Carraway a weekly column. She’s a riveting, intelligent writer and, for the first time in years, I read an EYE WEEKLY article (not counting Love Bites) right through to the end. REGAN MCDONELL

Kate Carraway has a point. She didn’t, however, analyze the reasons behind the Toronto media scene’s lack of oomph. It’s not only that editors are tamer and prefer what they know. More importantly, we have fewer writing outlets than New Yorkers do. Those that exist pay their writers little and very late — six to 12 months after publication. As a freelancer in Toronto, you have no choice but to maintain a day job.

Yes, great non-fiction and essay writing can still happen on a shoestring. But a great critical writing culture of an entire city cannot. We can try and analyze why it is that NYC has strong magazines and journals that can pay their contributors well — and not only staff writers — so they can dedicate themselves to their writing (and pitching) full-time. Do American outlets really get much more revenue from advertisers than Canadian ones? Are American subscribers a constantly growing, lifelong loyal crowd? There’s actually evidence to the contrary.

Apparently, The New Yorker has always been losing money, but Condé Nast continue to spend on it with a greater or lesser degree of lavishness because it sees it as its most prestigious jewel in the crown. And how has The Nation survived for so long with practically no advertising? n + 1 has, with no money and a very rudimentary website, become one of the most influential magazines in NYC in the course of a few years.

We, on this side, even have government grants working in our favour, yet the magazines keep dying off. Perhaps we really don’t have a critical mass of people interested in reading non-celebrity magazines.

Which brings me back to the tameness and the same-old, same-old issue that KC raises. I mean, look who This Magazine asked to write an opinion piece on the future of ONDP in a recent issue — the guy who’s been writing about the tragic demise of the Waffle for the last 30 years in any Canadian media outlet that would have him. Or consider The Walrus, with a penchant for publishing the tenured professoriat that likes to appear on Peter Mansbridge’s “At Issue” panel. Our national feminist magazine, Herizons, has taken a serious Oprah turn now that “how I survived” stories dominate its every issue. I’m also sure that Sarah Fulford’s last name had nothing to do with her speedy trajectory to the top of Toronto Life.

The divide of guards is not all generational, though. I’ve found the Toronto editor of the National Post (that fortress of Asperism, as the cliché goes) more likely to answer your pitch email than the Spacing crowd. So yes — KC is right to start this conversation. LYDIA PEROVIC

CORRECTION
In last week’s Totally Wired column, we mistakenly reported the name of one of the members of Nacho Lovers. The acid house duo is comprised of Fistfight and Scott Seewhale. EYE WEEKLY regrets the error.

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