THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, September 24, 1995 TAG: 9509210008
SECTION: COMMENTARY PAGE: J4 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Letter
LENGTH: Short : 37 lines
I am a student at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg who graduated from Franklin High School, class of '94. I am a little behind on the events that happen in Franklin because of the long distance between Blacksburg and Franklin. But I recently received a copy of ``Watching the corn grow'' from your Sept. 1 issue and was disappointed.
The entire content of the article was sarcastic and should be given only the respect that sarcasm deserves. Many people took this article seriously and were hurt by it. It was an insult not to the geographic location and relative size of Franklin but, rather childishly, to the people of Franklin.
It may be true that Franklin does not offer much to those who seek the entertainment that is provided by large metropolitan areas such as New York, but that is no reason to try to compare Franklin to New York. When someone chooses to live in Franklin they live there because they want to live in the atmosphere provided by Franklin, not New York.
When I look back on my years in Franklin, I remember having the same type of attitude presented in the article. Many things change with time and maturity. My lifestyle here in Blacksburg is a little more fast-paced than the one I have in Franklin. However, I am sure that if all I did was whine and complain about the things Blacksburg doesn't have instead of taking advantage of the things it does, Blacksburg would seem to be boring.
Finding something to do is much more dependent upon the individual than it is on the physical surroundings.
ALEX CADOTTE
Blacksburg, Sept. 18, 1995 by CNB