Ugly. Red-Headed. Step-children?

Last Wednesday, May 2nd 2012,  our local newspaper, the Sarasota Herald-Tribune ran a story about a new retail “mall” which is to be developed in Sarasota, on the north east fringe of the County.

This development has been on again/off again every since I moved here in 2006.  The hope was that it would attract upscale stores such as “Nordstrom” and “Neiman Marcus”.

That hope has not been realised (who cares?).  But the developer, one Chuck Madden, was happy to announce that a formerly less favoured retailer, “Saks of 5th Ave” would move its store from its current location in central Sarasota.


He said this: “Saks, the ugly red-headed stepchild, is now the prom queen four years later," (H-T, May 2).”

That’s a ghastly analogy.   So I wrote a letter to the editor at the Sarasota H-T. It's not that I was hurt by his comments.  It was simply that I was pissed-off by his stupidity. My letter was published today and it reads thus.

“Dear Editor:


My hair used to be brilliantly red. It has faded, of course, with age.


My oldest sister has two stepchildren who adore her and are deeply grateful for the loving stability she brought into their lives.


With that in mind I wonder what in the world possessed Chuck Madden to say "Saks, the ugly red-headed stepchild, is now the prom queen four years later," (H-T, May 2).


Stringing together the words "ugly red-headed stepchild" is disrespectful (to say the least) of we redheads, and of the hundreds of thousands of grateful stepchildren and their parents.


J. Michael Povey, Sarasota.”


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 This is a composite, made by my friend Betsy as a birthday card a couple of years ago.  The  brilliant red-head is J. Michael Povey at aged (about) 20 years.