To the editor: I will always remember the look of disbelief on my father's face when he learned in the late 1970s that people were actually buying bottled water. Raised during the Great Depression (he was 12 when he started), he said it was a scam and mocked the fools who fell for it. (“Are you a Stanley or Hydro Flask person? What your water bottle says about you,” January 11)
And then I read a Times article about “stylish” water bottles, which cost up to $45 and have become gorgeous fashion accessories.
I smiled to myself, raised my glass of water to my beloved deceased father and said, “Cheers, Dad, you were right.”
R. Daniel Foster, Los Angeles
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To the editor: The subtitle of the print edition reads: “The brand of water bottle you carry says a lot about you.”
That is not true. That's just nonsense. And it is even dangerous. Let's stop promoting the idea that we have to consider our own personal brand when we buy everything.
Why not suggest instead that what we own says very little about us and that we should just use what we have?
The fashion is over. This is the year we start not buying anything.
Humans are disturbing the balance of nature. Our idea that the brand of water bottle we carry is meaningful is a symptom of our crazy need to buy new things and generate more waste and emissions.
And in this case, we can pretend that we are being ecologically sound because we don't use single-use plastic.
Dana Cairns Watson, Los Angeles
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To the editor: To distinguish myself from the rest, this veteran opts for a canteen.
Arnold Tosti, Sunland
