DOWNTOWN — A marketing agency is inviting Eric Barry — the comedian behind a much-criticized "goodbye letter" to Chicago — back to the city for a debate.
Barry became the focus of (angry) attention after he penned the Huffington Post-published letter, which was critical of Chicago's food and transportation options, among other things. One of the things Barry continued to struggle with was meeting people and making friends like he had in San Francisco, his home city, he said.
At one point, Barry poked fun at what he referred to as a "study" that found Chicago to be the best beach city in the United States.
RELATED: Guy Slammed For Goodbye Letter To Chicago Doesn't Mind The Hate (Too Much)
Andy Kerns, creative director at Digital Third Coast, the Chicago-based marketing company behind that study, read Barry's piece and decided to respond. In an open letter to Barry, Kerns said he'd moved around and experienced some of the same things Barry struggled with in Chicago, including "isolation, rejection, confusion and depression-fueled burger eating."
But, Kerns said, he would never blame a city for his problems.
Kerns then invited Barry — who's now living in New York — to a live debate back in Chicago. He said Digital Third Coast would pay for Barry's travel and the cover the cost of the venue. Barry's debate opponent would be a Chicago comedian who would be selected through a contest.
The debate could cover "Chicago food, making friends after 30, sex positivity, Steve Harvey, you name it," Kerns wrote.
"We'll have some good-spirited fun, keep it smart, keep it constructive and maybe even raise a little dough for charity," Kerns suggested.
It's not the first Barry-centric event to pop up since his letter was published: R Public House in Rogers Park threw a "goodbye party" for him earlier this week.
There's no word yet on if Barry will participate in the proposed debate.
Last week, Barry told DNAinfo he'd received positive and negative feedback to his essay and he was "happy to engage in a conversation" about what he'd written.
"I think that it’s important the people engage in a dialogue with people who hold different views than their own," said Barry, a comedian, writer and advocate for sex workers. "I know, in my experience, it got to be very lonely and isolating in Chicago, and it seems like any expression of that was nonexistent. I decided to write about that experience."
