Thursday, June 29, 2006

'Half' Right


A.O. Scott's review of the "Strangers With Candy" movie sounds about right (devotees of the series, admirers of Ms. Sedaris and fake-news junkies who can never get enough of Mr. Colbert will find reasons to see it and to convince themselves that it is funnier and more satisfying than it really is.).

But his inadvertently calling Derrick Blank Jerri's "stepbrother" rather than her "half brother" touched a nerve with me. People who have one parent in common are half siblings. People whose parents remarry people who already have children inherit a stepparent and stepsiblings. One is blood, one is not. (I can't quite explain my boyfriend's calling my stepfather my "father-in-law.")

I remember editing a story for a major news organization about Gen. Wesley Clark during the 2004 presidential campaign and the reporter was working the angle about how similar the backgrounds were between Clark and Bill Clinton, including both being "only children." When I reminded the news editor of Roger Clinton, he actually tried to blow me off and say that that didn't really count(!) ... Take it from me: I have a (half) sister and I can assure you, she counts.

  • Read: In 'Strangers With Candy,' Amy Sedaris's Jerri Blank Is Streetwise and Starting Over (
  • NYT)

    1 comment:

    Erik said...

    I have three half-brothers and I couldn't agree with you more. We're like four peas in a pod. I couldn't imagine being closer. It's awesome. We're brothers and that's that. I hate when people leave them out of the equation.