Monday, September 15, 2008

And THAT'S One to Grow On

Now I'm no Tootie and this here blog is no Saturday morning cartoon but rather the ramblings of a middle class white woman about... about what really? Motherhood? Pop culture? Fear and loathing in Suburbia? Whatever. We need not solve that issue here. The thing is I know I'm not a political blog. I don't want to be a political blog. I don't know enough, I'm too passionate, I both care too much and yet too little. Still. I came across this Digg comment posted on The Avant Garde Retard and something about it rang so true that while reading it all I could hear was that clear and soft ding ding ding diiing! of my childhood memory. The More You Know... Me hunched on the couch drinking Nesquik and knowing what was true, what was right, and what was not.

What if John McCain were a former president of the Harvard Law Review? What if Barack Obama finished fifth from the bottom of his graduating class?
What if McCain were still married to the first woman he said "I do" to? What if Obama were the candidate who left his first wife after she no longer measured up to his standards?
What if Michelle Obama was a wife who not only became addicted to pain killers, but acquired them illegally through her charitable organization? What if Cindy McCain graduated from Harvard?
What if Obama were a member of the "Keating 5"? What if McCain was a charismatic, eloquent speaker?
If these questions reflected reality, do you really believe the election numbers would be as close as they are?
This is what racism does. It covers up, rationalizes and maximizes positive qualities in one candidate and emphasizes negative qualities in another when there is a color difference.
- Kelvin , Fort Worth"

Anyhoo. Like I said, I don't want to be a political blog (but it's hard these days when even the simple act of watering your lawn can be seen as a bi-partisan statement). And so I leave you with this: my pretty new ring. Like it? I love it. My mama bought it for me for my birthday. Which is kind of pathetic when you look at this photograph and see the wrinkles on my hands, but there you go. Pretty pretty, la la la, fingers in my ears, I caaan't heeeaar you!


Conjunction Junction, what's your function? Happy Monday, now I'm going back to bed.
Love,
S

23 comments:

Jen said...

how can you go back to bed? i have to work...not fair!

MrsEm said...

Awesome questions from Kevin. I can feel my brain growing :)

Erin said...

Thanks for posting this! Interesting stuff.

Anonymous said...

Kelvin says it so eloquently and I couldn't agree more. This is a bit more snarky but along the same lines...

"If you're a minority and you're selected for a job over more qualified candidates you're a "token hire."

If you're a conservative and you're selected for a job over more qualified candidates you're a "game changer."

Black teen pregnancies? A "crisis" in black America.
White teen pregnancies? A "blessed event."

If you grow up in Hawaii you're "exotic."
Grow up in Alaska eating mooseburgers, you're the quintessential "American story."

Similarly, if you name your kid Barack you're "unpatriotic."
Name your kid Track, you're "colorful."

If you're a Democrat and you make a VP pick without fully vetting the individual you're "reckless."
A Republican who doesn't fully vet is a "maverick."

If you spend 3 years as a community organizer growing your organization from a staff of 1 to 13 and your budget from $70,000 to $400,000, then become the first black President of the Harvard Law Review, create a voter registration drive that registers 150,000 new African Amerian voters, spend 12 years as a Constitutional Law professor, then spend nearly 8 more year s as a State Senator representing a district with over 750,000 people, becoming chairman of the state Senate's Health and Human Services committee, then spend nearly 4 years in the United States Senate representing a state of nearly 13 million people, sponsoring 131 bills and serving on the Foreign Affairs, Environment and Public Works and Veteran's Affairs committees, you are woefully inexperienced.

If you spend 4 years on the city council and 6 years as the mayor of a town with less than 7,000 people, then spend 20 months as the governor of a state with 650,000 people, then you've got the most executive experience of anyone on either ticket, are the Commander in Chief of the Alaska military and are well qualified to lead the nation should you be called upon to do so because your state is the closest state to Russia.

If you are a Democratic male candidate who is popular with millions of people you are an "arrogant celebrity".
If you are a popular Republican female candidate you are "energizing the base".

If you are a younger male candidate who thinks for himself and makes his own decisions you are "presumptuous".
If you are an older male candidate who makes last minute decisions you refuse to explain, you are a "shoot from the hip" maverick.

If you are a candidate with a Harvard law degree you are "an elitist-out of touch" with the real America.
If you are a legacy (dad and granddad were admirals) graduate of Annapolis, with multiple disciplinary infractions you are a hero.

If you manage a multi-million dollar nationwide campaign, you are an "empty suit".
If you are a part time mayor of a town of 7000 people, you are an "experienced executive".

If you go to a south side Chicago church, your beliefs are "extremist".
If you believe in creationism and don't believe global warming is man made, you are "strongly principled".

If you cheated on your first wife with a rich heiress, and left your disfigured wife and married the heiress the next month, you're a Christian.
If you have been married to the same woman with whom you've been wed to for 19 years and raising 2 beautiful daughters with, you're "risky".

If you're a 13-year-old Chelsea Clinton, the right-wing press calls you "First dog."
If you're a 17-year old pregnant unwed daughter of a Republican, the right-wing press calls you "beautiful" and "courageous."

If you kill an endangered species, you're an excellent hunter.
If you have an abortion you're not a christian, you're a murderer (forget about if it happen while being date raped.)

If you teach abstinence only in sex education, you get teen parents.
If you teach responsible age appropriate sex education, including the proper use of birth control, you are eroding the fiber of society."

Megan said...

Nice Susannah, Kevin and Anonymous.
Fuck, why can't more people see things this way? That Palin scares the living daylights out of me, especially since there's the possibility that she could end up as President during the next 4 years if McCain wins the election, since he's no spring chicken. And the fact that she could also make a viable candidate for president for the NEXT election is enough to make me lose bladder function.

If there is a god, please let Him/Her see to it that Obama wins this election. We need a break this time.

Richie Designs said...

i'm not political either but feel like it's needed this time around. I can't afford not to care $$ or my future as a woman and a citizen.

mc cain is no spring chicken. she is one step away from being our president and her foreign policy is equal to her comment of "I can see Russia from Alaska"

lordie help us all if they win.

Robin said...

It is hard not to speak/write about the election because it is SO IMPORTANT. I am not a political blogger either, but posted about Obama yesterday, too. Thank you so much for posting this! It is so scary - because it is true. Also have you seen this? http://www.thedailyshow.com/video/index.jhtml?videoId=184086&title=sarah-palin-gender-card
I love Jon Stewart!

dee said...

Very interesting...really makes you think. And PS: your hands are not wrinkly at ALL!

Anonymous said...

What a bunch of liberal crazies you have reading and commenting on your blog......you are right, you are not a political blog and if you keep this up you will surely lose many conserative readers. (if you care :) )

Rosalie said...

I was talking to my little sister about this issue--this upcoming election--and she said I should write about it in my blog. She said me, you and our other blogger friend should be writing about it. My first thought was nope, that's not what my blog is for, not what yours is for either. But then I got to thinking and I realized, it's WAY to important NOT to blog about it. Even if we change one mind, or make one mind look in to their decision or indecision a little more, than it's worth it.
Now, the only problem is what to say that you already haven't said....
Xo
Ro

Anonymous said...

To the "conservative" anonymous poster-

Can you please articulate what is "crazy" about the "liberals" and their comments here?

And I'm curious what about this blog is so scary/offensive/threatening to "conservative" readers that they would stop reading?

-Andrews

Petunia Face said...

Here: I'm answering my own conundrum. I'm a personal blogger. And this year, more than ever, politics are personal. I can't help but sometimes write about this election, about my liberal leanings (okay, so leaning waaaaay to the left, more just laying there on my side might be more appropriate). I can't help it. My brother can't help it. You can't help it. Anonymous can't help it. Which is why we all just need to VOTE.

If I lose readers by writing about my political stance then yes, that would make me a little sad. But what's the difference between that and losing readers because I write about my panic attacks? My love of America's Next Top Model? My daughter? My boobs? When do I stop trying to please everybody and just write??

"If you ask me what I came to do: I came to live out loud." -Emile Zola

Vote.
Love,
Susannah

Anonymous said...

from another anonymous conservative...I don't find the "liberal" blogging/commenting scary, offensive or threatening. Rather, just plain silly. ;-) However, I look forward to reading what PF has on her mind each day. I enjoy her honesty - along with her completely wacky sense of humor. I'm always anxious to see what she'll come up with next. And if it is political, I'm more than happy to agree to disagree and leave it at that. I'm sure she's as genuine as she comes across in her blog - and I respect that.

Judy said...

In the spirit of "Anonymous #1"....

If you're literate, well-informed,articulate,provocative and passionate,
you're a "one of those liberal crazies".

If you're not,
you're "Anonymous #2" (I'm not up on my smilies, sorry)

"Anonymous #3"...you make me believe that not all Conservatives are like "Anonymous #2" and that's a very good thing.

BTW,Missy PF, your hand isn't all wrinkled (and WHO would ever dare say that wrinkled hands shouldn't wear precious metals/stones or any other "pretty-pretty" with the smoothest of them anyway?!)The ring looks beautiful on you and, again, I say that it was made for you.

Mom

Charlee said...

Is it just me, but why are the conservative readers "Anonymous"? I would be embarrassed to post my name too. Really - are you reading, watching, listening, feeling any sort of emotion in this world?? It is truly beyond my comprehension that anyone would not be scared to death of 4 more years of Bush.

Jennifer said...

OMG that is so true!!

Anonymous said...

For the sake of being a little snarky, I'm a conservative Christian Republican who loves this blog, and the first time I read, I was reading about a little girl chanting for Obama. And what do you know, I still came back to read what is written because it's smart and witty, personal and real. Maybe I'm naive, but I don't know why politics have to get so personal. We're all going to believe what we believe and vote for who we vote for, and life will go on. Either way, lots of people are going to be unhappy, and I guess they'll/we'll just have to fight harder to effect the change that they/we want.

BTW, I love the ring.

Vanessa (yeah! my real name!)

Anonymous said...

Great, thought provoking post and some interesting comments. Now, let's get Obama into the white house! :)

JackeeG4glamorous said...

Difference of opinion is what makes individuals wonderful, unique contributing members of society. Those who so chose to not read your blog because of your political interests are full of poo. Love your ring! Love your blog. I read to broaden my horizons otherwise I'd just have my judgemental ol self to deal with, and I generally bore myself. I am neither conservative nor liberal, and I always vote from my heart and mind. Which is where we all should be, in an adult respectful manner.

You go girl.

kelly robson said...

here, here, freebutterfly! here here.

nicley put.

kelly robson said...

i mean, NICELY put. oops.

i LOVE this blog. LOVE. and even though i completely disagree politically... well, that's what makes this country great. we all get to vote and have our little voices heard.

Kwana said...

How much do I love this post? Thisssssss much!

Anonymous said...

I absolutely love this post! Anonymous 1 when are you going to start a blog??? I'd love to read it!!!! :)

Beautiful ring!