BRATTLEBORO — I had to read this piece twice because I thought I must have missed the joke. I'm told this was intended to be funny; I'm afraid it has missed the mark.
We moved to Brattleboro to be part of this community, and we get to know our neighbors (good and bad), and often venture out onto evil, violent Elliot Street for drinks at one of the three bars or to visit one of the excellent restaurants, bookstores, hair salons, the mom-and-pop grocery and mom-and-pop drugstore, and great little shops selling crafts and clothes and fun stuff.
If I seem a bit peeved, it's because I find this sort of “humor” offensive. Brattleboro is a great, safe, close-knit place to live, and this essay does not help us as a community overcome the negative press and outdated gossip that persists about Brattleboro in general, and Elliot Street and, indeed, my own wonderful street and neighborhood, in particular.
This use of Brattleboro is fair enough on a blog or Facebook, but lots of people read The Commons, including visitors and folks considering moving here. That, it appears, was not taken into consideration when this piece was written or chosen for publication.
Not funny. Not helpful.