Michelle (Winslow) Littlefield

Author of the blog post “An Open Letter to Suzy Weiss: You are an Asshole.”

I know why (all) those colleges rejected you. And it has nothing to do with much of the content of your op-ed in the Wall Street Journal, who really just published your piece to generate a little boost in readership. Not because it was awesome or so spot on. No, they knew it would spark controversy because they saw what the majority of society also sees: You’re an asshole.

The piece was published in the blog “Turn This Car Around” in April 2013.

So, want my advice? Probably not but I’ll give it anyway. Next time you suck at something in life – like when you don’t get that dream job, or you fail your midterms even though you pulled an all-nighter, or the police officer insists on writing you the ticket even though you gave your best display of waterworks – don’t blame everyone but your shitty self. Maybe try just admitting that there was someone more qualified, that you didn’t study enough, and that you broke the law. Realize that in life, there are winners and losers. Everyone has a little bit of both in them. And if you can just try to stop being such an asshole, you might end up being a little less of a loser.

Michelle Winslow is a writer based in Portland, Maine. She is married to Tristan Littlefield.