No response

Letters are in the news again today. In the economic sphere. the owner of the California-based Patagonia fashion sportswear company, a billion pound operation, has issued an open letter in which he announces that he has surrendered his ownership in favour of its income is going to charities designed to save the environment. His open letter lacks date and address, but concludes with a personal signature. It is more a public announcement than a letter and a response in the form of an answering letter is neither desired nor possible. And then there is that plethora of dedicated websites and  re-purposed established websites and social media sites crowded with letter-like missives written following the death of Queen Elizabeth and many of which are addressed to the Queen herself. No response is possible. Although many of them are amazingly personal, they are overwhelmingly in the form of a valedictory farewell, like ‘thank you’ and ‘you kept your vow’.

Last updated: 16 September 2022