In regards to “Spoiled and proud” (March 2) by Kirk Nathanson: \nO but Kirk, how can you be special, when I am special? I mean, my new favorite kids song tells me this every day. You might remember it as “Frere Jacques,” and though it has the same tune, it is in the best language on Earth ... the one I speak (because I am special). Its new lyrics are, “I am special, I am special, look at me, look at me, no one else but me is, no one else but me is, I’m the best, I’m the best”. OK, maybe that is not on my iPod, but the new JT is, and I am bringin’ sexy back.\nAll right, enough with that. It makes me sick being that narcissistic. I understand your column and how vanity promotes pointless purchases and $1,000 purses that fit your phone and two clean Kleenexes, but I don’t think that was what professor Jean Twenge was talking about. It is a well-known fact that everybody is at least a little vain, and it does promote capitalism. However, what Twenge was saying was that as a group, we are becoming too vain and it is beginning to have negative effects. One example I can think of is with obese children. If they are told their whole young life that its OK to be obese, then they will grow up thinking that it’s OK and healthy to be obese, and then they will die from health complications. Her report was pointing out how it’s getting worse and that we all just need to take a step back and look at what we are doing. A little vanity improves our self-esteem, which is good. Too much can damage our lives, health and relationships. Now, if you will excuse me, my mirror misses me.
Sam Horrell\nSenior
