Dear Dr. Date,
As an almost graduate here at the University, I’ve been an avid reader and a fan for awhile now. That being the case, I also read your edition in the Arts and Entertainment section. Now here comes the tricky part: Usually your advice carries the voice of common sense. But in the past month, some of the responses have been more cynical and seem a bit, well … unlike the advice you would usually give. This week for example in the Arts and Entertainment section, “Need Help” asked for sound advice. Why does she always have to call him? Since when does it take only one person to make a relationship work (friendship or otherwise)? Okay, to give you your due, there are some people who are not phone people. But if they’ve both expressed interest in one another and only one person does all the calling, I’d have to say that there is something up.
So your advice to “Next time, try to communicate” is sound. But I’m still trying to understand the rest of your “helpful advice.” So, if this gets a bit lengthy, I duly apologize. I’m only trying to get Need Help’s story straight …
He initiates a relationship but never calls. When she stops calling, he wonders why?? And your response is that SHE is the one playing games.
That’s questionable. Oh, and when did you start categorizing people who write to you as, “the type of trouble girlfriend no one should ever date” and in the same breath state that “but you know we’re all capable of growing?”
Since this is so unlike you, there are three reasons I’ve come up with of why you would give such a response:
1) You had a bad day at work, maybe even a bad week.
2) You had argument with your wife and decided to lash out at “Need Help.”
3) You’re really on vacation and you’re letting some Jack Ass write your responses for you as a Dr. Date stand in.
— Another Dr. Date

Thanks for picking up on that. Any rudeness you may be experiencing in my column this summer is a temporary bout of bitterness. It’ll pass soon.
It all started when my colleague Network hijacked my column and insinuated that I’m too sensitive, polite, impractical and boring. In this case, Network’s better advice to the dateless was to go to a bar, get a woman drunk and take advantage of her. (Psst! Hey Network! That’s rape.)
This sentiment seems to echo a media trend that favors being blunt and offensive rather than accurate and helpful. The current cookie cutter radio morning show features a totally crass host that gets to say whatever they want while a qualified nice co-host tries to provide balance by laughing along and saying, “Oh, you’re too much!”