Not Good, GQ, Not Good

Just saw this article in an industry publication I regularly read and had to reprint it. Shame on you, GQ, specifically writer John B. Thompson, for your complete lack of sensitivity and out-right stupidity. And cheers to Dr. Brian Skotko of Boston for taking the magazine to task and responding with a touching blog post about his sister, Kristin, who has Down Syndrome.

Apparently, GQ named the 40 worst-dressed cities in the country, with Boston topping the list. According to GQ writer John B. Thompson, the city “… is like America’s Bad-Taste Storm Sewer: all the worst fashion ideas from across the country flow there, stagnate and putrefy.”

The article then went on to slam the mentally-challenged who have an extra chromosome stating, “Boston suffers from a kind of Style Down Syndrome, where a little extra ends up ruining everything.”

Really?? For lack of a better response, all I can say is, “GQ, you suck.”

Below is a blurb from Dr. Skotko’s more well thought-out and touching reply, which was posted on the Children’s Hospital of Boston’s Pediatric health blog. Such publications as The Washington Post, Boston Herald and Boston’s Fox News have covered the story, allowing the doctor to speak about the issue. Click here to read the blog post in full.

Mock my pants, not my sister

Go ahead, GQ, and mock my blue whale-emblemed Nantucket-red pants. Laugh if you want at the loud argyles that I prefer to wear with my black suit. I don’t even care if you dismiss the sexy pink polka-dotted tie that I like to wear with my blue-checkered shirt in clinic. But, whatever you do, do not mess with my sister.

You’re a good man, Dr. Skotko, and you are blessed to have an angel like Kristin in your life, but I bet you already knew that. And, I, for one, like how you dress. Preppies across the nation salute you!

For the record, GQ removed the line from the article, but GQ’s editor has not responded to Dr. Skotko’s letter.

Happy, Wednesday, friends. Hope the week is treating you well.
Image from the Children’s Hospital of Boston’s Pediatric health blog