Scarlett Johansson
c/o William Morris Agency
One William Morris Place
Beverly Hills, CA 90212
Dear Ms. Johansson,
Congratulations on being designated “Sexiest Woman Alive” by Esquire magazine. That’s something to put on your resume! Of course, this new distinction will only make the paparazzi swarm you more. From what I’ve read you do not particularly enjoy the nonstop attention of photographers. In fact, you reportedly held up a sign saying that “the person taking this picture” was harassing you. That is a clever idea, as whatever shots were taken at that moment incriminate the possessor of those shots.
You have stated that you experienced some embarrassment, however, when you discovered that you has spelled harass incorrectly, with two r’s. You even asked several people, and they confirmed that the word did contain two r’s! Maybe it’s just a hard word to spell for everyone. Or maybe you happened upon four malicious passersby who were trying to trip you up. You might not think that people would do such a thing, but I watched a few episodes of “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire” when it first aired and I was shocked to see that, sometimes, when a contestant would use his “lifeline" in which he or she asked the audience for an answer, the audience would sometimes give a false answer on purpose! My faith in humanity is forever shaken.
Anyway, I would say that this may be a sign that you should use your celebrity status to raise awareness about literacy. I am not in any way suggesting that misspelling a word such as harass is evidence of a low literacy level. On the contrary, there are many words that I repeatedly come up for me when I run a spell-check. I believe, however, that many people do not realize the importance of good written communication skills. Often it comes down to making a winning first impression. That is something that you yourself do not need to worry about, but the average person needs to figure it out one way or another.
For all I know you are already deeply involved in protecting the habitats of the migratory Monarch Butterfly. If not, give a literacy campaign a shot!
Truly,
Liz Mann
