Appreciation for Colombia’s ‘Betty’

As a native of Colombia who gave up his citizenship to become a U.S. citizen, I constantly look back to see how my country of origin is doing. Unfortunately, Colombia’s strife--with the longest civil war in Latin American history, drug trafficking and a myriad of social inequities--tends to dominate what little coverage the print media gives it. For that reason, I was moved by the light piece titled “Colombia’s Beloved ‘Betty, the Ugly,’ ” (Feb. 20).

Few people know (myself included at times) how much Colombia has to offer, producing the likes of Gabriel Garcia Marquez (Nobel Prize-winning author), Ferdinand Botero (painter and sculptor) and, as noted in the article, television for the masses with a social conscience. To find a piece on something positive coming out of Colombia is refreshing and, for an instant, hope-filling--hope for a well-educated and cultured people trapped in a country that is a victim of its ancestry.

--JOHN J. ISAZA

Laguna Beach

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Thanks so much for writing about the popular program in Colombia, “Betty, the Ugly.” It’s nice to see the Bettys of the world are finally getting some recognition!

--BETTY MILLER

Somis