Feuding twin sisters popularized the American advice column | Hacker News Reader

Feuding twin sisters popularized the American advice column

laphamsquarterly.org

75 pointsapollinaire21 comments

There was one Dear Abby column that has stuck with me decades later. An older person was debating going back to college, and the letter was something like "If I go back to school for four years, I'll be 60 when I'm done. Is that even worth it?" and the response was "How old will you be in four years if you don't go back to college?"

While that's a nice pithy response, it's not answering the question that the letter writer was likely asking: "Is going to college for 4 years in the later years of my life worth it compared to the opportunity cost?".

Although at that age it probably isn't really an economic decision for a better career but rather one of personal achievement if they had always wanted go to college but couldn't when younger.

I guess I remember interpreting it more as a way of looking at the opportunity cost instead of ignoring it, kind of like "If you don't go to college for the next 4 years, what would you be doing instead?"

opportunity cost entails another opportunity, and there is not other opportunity mentioned.

Along these lines, it could be "it's going to cost me money to do this, can I earn it back?" although I don't think that's a typical calculation for a 56 yo considering college.

I wish the article went more into the feud and reconciliation, rather than leaving it as an exercise of the reader, especially since the subtitle is "Meet the feuding twin sisters...".

In the movie version of this story, one sister would anonymously write to the other asking for advice on apologizing to and reconciling with her estranged sister.

Nowadays in the movie version, it turns out they are both clones, and 3 other sisters have just come out of the woodwork and one of them keeps killing people...

Growing up, the columns were daily reading for me in the newspaper. I don’t know what about them was so addicting.

.. an early sign that social media had a future.

You could also write to Miss Manners. I did it once and she published it!

sign me,

curious in topanga canyon

A thought-provoking discussion, every morning.

Gossip is as old as human language

Random piece of Ann Landers Trivia - Noted sex advice columnist Dan Savage bought her desk and used it in his office - https://www.pghcitypaper.com/columns/savage-love-1340750

I had to take a real journey to get down to the letter that actually mentions this, lol. But I love Savage Love

And used as in used it to write on, not the other thing you are thinking about.

From the column:

>I write at Landers's desk. And let me tackle the obvious follow-up question: I've never had sex on Landers's desk

I didn't ask that question - Though I did ask the first one, and posting the column with his response is an act of self promotion :). I also appreciate the words he put in my mouth, because they're funnier and more appropriate than the follow ups I tried to write before settling on simple.

His direct response to me:

  i write savage love sitting at it... it's in my office at work...
  
  xo
  dan

And Siskel & Ebert, feuding columnists from rival Chicago newspapers, popularized movie reviews.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EF8S5XB-eYs

You have no complaint. You are what you are, and you ain't what you ain't.

"We've got Ann Landers and her sister Dear Abby,

Harrison Ford's a quarter Jewish -- not too shabby!"

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=KX5Z-HpHH9g

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