She’s Hell Bent on Destroying It

We all love reading the comics in the newspaper. It’s the best part next to completely failing at completing the crossword puzzle. Everyone has their favorite comics, and the ones that they completely skip over, my own favorites being The Peanuts, Zits, Agnes, and Baby Blues. The great thing about newspaper comic strips is that they have ones for all ages. They have the funny little kid humor such as Garfield, Red and Rover and Marmaduke all the way to more adult humor like Zits and Baby Blues where they interest parents. No matter what the comic strip is the best part for comic strip artists is that they are able to put any twist they want to in them.  It may seem strange but a comic artist is in a great situation to share their views without coming straight out with it. To us the reader, it’s more like the view is coming from the character in the comic, not necessarily from the cartoonist him or herself. It’s sort of like subliminal messaging, through their characters humor and story plot they are able to sneak in their views let it be over the economy, current events, or even politics. One comic strip in particular is The Boondocks. In case you are unfamiliar with The Boondocks, it’s a comic strip that started out being published in a college Newspaper, so the material is more mature, and it slowly made its way from the college newspaper to a Hip Hop magazine called the Source, and soon after The Boondocks had reached a nationally known status in newspapers in America. The Boondocks is a comic, which in my opinion has some dark, dry humor and mostly comments on the African American culture and/or politics, all from the perspective of the comic’s main character who is a little boy.

Now I personally find the Boondocks to be a great example of freedom of speech and how to utilize it. Is it controversial? Yes. Has it been withheld from different newspapers various amounts of times? Yes. Do they let these facts stop them from amplifying their opinions and views to America? Of course not, and this is a good lesson to learn from the creators of this comic strip. One of the best features of the comic is that you don’t have to agree. It brings up many controversial topics and pushes the limits of its readers, but it must have been doing something right, because you can now find The Boondocks as a tv series on Adult Swim. A Cartoon Network late night channel that also hosts other controversial shows such as Family Guy and American Dad, both created by Seth McFarland. These shows work because viewers like controversy, they like to be able to take sides when approached with these controversies, and in fact should be inspired by these shows and comic strips to take their turn in amplifying their views right back out there, which is why I am writing this post right now.

While perusing the internet one fine evening as I rushed to find information for a former English paper, I came across a Boondocks comic strip about Condoleezza Rice. Now being as young as I am, I will admit that I don’t really remember much about Condoleezza Rice. The most I know about her is that she was the former secretary of state before Hillary Clinton. I will also admit that I hadn’t accidentally come across the comic strip I was in fact looking for evidence of sexism in politics, but my google search must have worked because I had stumbled across this strip. It shows the main character of the comic, Huey, with his little friend Michael. The two boys are talking and Michael comes up with a plan, he comments “Maybe if there was a man in the world who Condoleezza truly loved then she wouldn’t be so hell bent on destroying it”. There is a panel of silence where Huey stands and ponders the words his friend just uttered and then suddenly replies “it’s brilliant. Let’s get to work”. This is a perfect example of the controversial things that have been said in the comic and the tv series, and like in all controversial topics people take sides, and I have taken mine.

I can sum up this one strip in one word: sexist. Truthfully it seems really minimal compared to other things the Boondocks have talked about. I mean the creator of the series Aaron McGruder has been called the “angriest black man in America”. In his show the Boondocks, created from his comic had an episode where Martin Luther King came back from the dead. He did an episode over the R. Kelly trials, and before the death of Rosa Parks, had originally depicted her with being affiliated with the alleged child pornographer R. Kelly. Of course after the death of the civil rights icon, he ended up deleting that little tid bit from the sketch. Bottom line is, compared to all the controversy that McGruder creates within his show and comic I can see how this four panel comic strip about Condoleezza finding a man can be seen as trivial, but why?

I do find the humor in this. Probably if I had known more about politics back when Condoleezza was actually in office I would find it even more hilarious, but I know enough to understand that what they are trying to portray is Condoleezza as this woman who is probably much like a ball buster and their solution to her not being this way is if she had a man. I do find the humor in that, and the fact that I do is what I find sad. Even I, a female, can laugh at this comic, but why? I mean maybe America is just still in that mindset. I like to think of myself as a modern woman. One who breaks away from the small mindedness of racism and sexism, and is pro-gay rights and pro-choice and life should just be sweet and happy like a piece of apple pie, and yet…I can still laugh at a sexist joke. This makes me wonder, by laughing at this joke am I approving of sexist remarks, or does it show that we live during a time when we are comfortable enough with each other to be able to laugh at topics like this? If you think about this then you may also think about other jokes you’ve heard, maybe a dumb blonde joke, or a racist joke, is it wrong to laugh at these jokes too, or are we just in a point in time in our nation where we are comfortable enough to be okay with joking about these controversial topics? The way I see it, it’s wrong, and we shouldn’t be joking around about it.

The fact that there are even jokes out there about sexism, or racism or about women being blonde or slutty, or stupid just proves how there is still stereotype. The fact that someone can be offended by these jokes proves even more how horrible it is to laugh at these jokes, let alone say them in the first place, but it’s hard not to. I understand, we have grown up learning these different stereotypes, therefore it’s hard not to laugh at these sometimes harmless jokes. In McGruder’s case he wasn’t necessarily trying to be funny, but get his political view across. Which is fine and dandy with me, but if his political view is stating that women need a man in their lives, and without a man the world will be destroyed, then maybe I should be rethinking what I find funny, and perhaps a few of you should be rethinking that too.

Cougars and Milfs and Babes…oh my!

Cougar, milf, babe-licious…ten years ago these words would make no sense (some of them still don’t),  or at least meant something completely different. The English language is extensive and confusing, making it one of the hardest languages in the world to learn. Perhaps the fact that it’s so hard to understand is because America is constantly making up newer words, words and terms that never existed before. The unique thing about these words is that if they become popular enough, they just might land themselves in the Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary. Who would have ever thought in a million years that when looking up the word “cougar” they would end up reading the words, “a middle-aged woman seeking a romantic relationship with a younger man”? The world sure has changed since I was back in preschool. I always thought a cougar was just some big jungle cat. Not only are words getting new meanings but we have taken it upon ourselves to create new terms, such as “helicopter parent…a parent who is overly involved in the life of his or her child”. I thought we already had a word for that: strict. Then there’s the “boomerang child…a young adult who returns to live at his or her family home, especially for financial reasons”. Call me crazy, but that has a word for it too: lazy.

Now I’m not saying creating new words is a bad thing. Hell, Shakespeare’s whole career revolved around creating new words. He gave us phrases such as “dead as a doornail” from Henry V1, and “elbow room” from King John. These are very commonly used phrases said every single day. He gave us dwindle, gust, gnarled, zany, swagger and just so many more. These are words that we say without even thinking about when or where they came from. With the world evolving at the rate that it is and new technology being developed every few months we couldn’t possibly live life without knowing what a “tweet” is, which ironically also landed a spot in the 2011 edition of the Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary, or even “crowd sourcing” which is the “practice of obtaining information from a large group of people who contribute online”. See, as the world evolves there is no running away from the idea of adopting new words and language, it’s inevitable, but why do we need words such as “bromance” when describing a “a close nonsexual friendship between men”? This word really is meaningless, yet you hear it a lot, especially on the “new hit show” Jersey Shore (gag me now). Doesn’t it feel as though the word bromance is just a little silly, almost like it’s belittling the relationship between the men? What’s wrong with just calling it a friendship? That is after all what it is, and there’s just so much meaning in that one word.

The funny thing about these new words and phrases are that they don't really start appearing unless they are being coined, usually by something or someone famous. Let it be a brilliantly written play that has survived over hundreds of years, or by some meat head guido who’s favorite pass time is frying like a piece of bacon in a tanning bed, while people watch them on tv as they do it. (Oh America, what has happened to us?!) Either way, the word gets out there when it gets publicity, and what got more publicity over the last decade than the 2008 presidential elections? Coming out of the 2008 elections we got ourselves our first black president and unfortunately something a little bit more…Alaskan.

Who could forget Sarah Palin? She made crazy look hot way before Bachmann hit the scene, and she gave Tina Fey a new demographic of teenage boys who have a thing for beehive hair dos and glasses. Palin, although crazy, did do a phenomenal thing, trying to change the world and change stereotype by running for a governmental position of power and prestige, vice presidency is no walk in the park. Alas, the former Alaskan Governor and her running mate McCain did not win, and we aren’t exactly crying over that fact either, but it’s interesting to know that during this time Palin was receiving all this publicity that she herself, coined a new phrase,“palinization”. How original that she named it after herself, but the word palinization refers to, according to Julie Baird for the Daily Beast, “being viciously attacked for being female and Republican”, in fact just as of lately Bachman had reported that she was being palinized by “liberals’ scorn”. Although we have talked about this before, Bachman being bat shit crazy and all, she did have a legitimate reason for feeling this way, especially after the Iowa caucuses, but was she really a victim of palinization, or would there be a better word for it, oh yea, SEXISM?

Sarah Palin wasn’t being palinized during her campaign run, she was being victimized. It’s a little more than obvious someone’s a victim of sexism when you have the media commenting on them being beautiful, a “milf” or “totally beddable”. You may be thinking, “those are all compliments!” but not necessarily. These terms completely belittled Palin. She wasn’t seen as a woman who could run alongside a president and help run our country. She was seen as this pretty ditz, (although the ditz part was perhaps her own fault). So when the word palinization came out, this should have angered many people, for how is this not the same as bromance? How is this word not taking meaning away from the word sexism?

Yes, Palin was a victim, and yes she did deserve to call the media out on it, but to come up with her own word like that, she only made a mockery of her whole ordeal. When hearing sexism there is a certain connotation to it. People take that word to heart, or at least you would hope they would, and that connotation is a serious one. Sexism is a serious thing, but with the invention of Palinization, Palin was only setting herself up for failure. No longer did people want to sympathize. How could you sympathize with a woman who decides to corner the sexism market for herself? So why didn’t Palin just come out with it and say sexism? Why did she feel the need to invent Palinization? Perhaps the word came about the same way bromance did, in defense to a certain reaction.

To me the word bromance came about because it’s silly. For some it’s hard to just come out and say these guy aren’t just friends, they are best friends, they are close….real close, sometimes it’s just easier to be like “yea dude, we have a bromance.” It’s silly. The word makes me laugh, especially when a guy admits to having a bromance, which is exactly why it would be said. Is it easier putting your feelings out there, or is it easier to just be silly? Which is where Palin went wrong, not saying she was trying to be silly, but the word Palinization probably came to life because she didn’t want to seem like another woman crying wolf. She didn’t want people thinking, “oh another woman complaining about sexism”, so palinization was created, but palinization is just like bromance. The word isn’t necessarily silly, but it just doesn’t hold the same connotation to it. If Palin would have just come out with it and said that she was a victim of sexism, then she would have won more sympathy. Now saying that sympathy would have won her the vote is stretching it…a lot…but she would probably be viewed a lot differently.

So all I ask is to just think about the words you use every day. Think about your daily vocabulary and the connotation to those words. Are you a guy who calls his friendship a bromance? Do you think one of your college professor was or is a cougar? Just think about these words and wonder what kind of connotation you are sending out to others. Are you coming off silly? Are you coming off sounding like a sleaze? Are you coming off sexist? Maya Angelou had said “Words mean more than what is set down on paper. It takes the human voice to infuse them with deeper meaning.” So what meaning are your words saying?

When you don’t get a little porn every once and a while…

I’m sure by now we all are fully aware of who Michele Bachmann is, whether you keep up with politics or just enjoy laughing your ass off watching Kristen Wiig do Bachmann impressions on Saturday Night Live, either way I’m sure we can all come to the same conclusion: the woman’s a bit bat shit crazy.

If you just happen to be one of those people who are currently living under a rock, and haven’t really been keeping up with your politics like a good little voter should be, then let me help you out a little. Michele Bachmann is one of those uber religious types. You know the kind, anti-porn, anti-gay, anti-sex outside of wedlock, so pretty much the anti-fun type. She claimed the Lion King to be gay propaganda for the fact that the very famous song  Circle of Life was written by Elton John. She’s also under the impression that carbon dioxide is completely harmless, and believes that hpv virus vaccinations cause retardation. As if Bachmann wasn’t just fascinating enough, she also finds it to be an “interesting coincidence” that back when Jimmy Carter was president, and let me just tell you now Jimmy Carter was a Democrat, in the 1970’s there was an outbreak of swine flu, and under the Obama administration, lo and behold another Democratic President, there was yet another swine flu break out. Had Bachman perhaps stumbled upon a conspiracy, or is she, as I stated before, a bit bat shit crazy? That, my reader, is your own decision to make, but let us look past her crazy for a few minutes here.

As Bachman blazed her way down the Republican campaign trail she had become the butt of many late night talk show jokes, let it be Jimmy Fallon, John Stewart, Jay Leno, Chelsea Handler or Jay Leno. Here are a few good ones I thought might just tickle your fancy…

"Michele Bachmann suffers from crippling migraine headaches. That's what happens when you don't get a little pornography every now and then." –David Letterman

"New reports say that President Obama’s re-election team is going to try to portray Mitt Romney as 'weird.' They’re also going to try to portray Michele Bachmann as 'Michele Bachmann.'" –Conan O'Brien

"An audio recording from five years ago has been released of Michele Bachmann predicting the end of the world. Her exact words were, 'I'm going to run for president in 2012.'" –Conan O'Brien

"Tea Party rebutter Michele Bachmann is under fire for saying the Founding Fathers eliminated slavery. Sarah Palin is very upset. Another female Republican trying to steal the dumbass vote." –Jay Leno

We all laugh at these jokes, I mean how can we not? When the woman is as out there as she is, it’s a bit hard to not poke a little fun at her. But crazy as she is, believe it or not the woman had followers, and what seems even more weird is that perhaps it wasn’t Bachmann’s crazy that ended up hindering her from pursuing the trek to becoming the Republican, but maybe even sexism?

It sounds crazy right? I mean does sexism even exist now a days? Who says a woman can’t run for president and still have time to make a sandwich for the first man (first gentleman)? Anything is possible, right? But the fact is Michele Bachman was supposed to win big in Iowa. It was after all her home state! Not only that but she didn’t even win in her own hometown of Waterloo! Now this is where you’re thinking, “duh, that woman’s bat shit crazy”, but let me stop you there, if it was Bachmann’s insanity that had her placing last in the Iowa caucuses then why did an Iowa county GOP chair state that “I’ve noticed that when her name is mentioned sometimes that there’s a lot of men that wouldn’t vote for a woman” (The Daily Beast)? Even one of her own former supporters, a woman herself I might add, had commented, “I just started thinking about being presidential and I don’t know that we’re ready for a woman for president” (The Daily Beast).

A fact that’s even more crazy to even fathom is that Bachmann had the religious vote in the bag. How could she not? Her very political stance was a conservative Christian’s wet dream. She had after all commented to ABC about how a gay patient being treated at the Christian Counseling Center was having his gay being “prayed away”. But even being a hardcore Christian such as herself, that still doesn’t excuse the fact that she is in fact a woman. It seems as though an Iowa campaign aide had actually questioned whether “the Bible condoned a woman being president” (Dailymail.com). It seems as though Bachmann can’t even get the Big Guy to root for her.

Even through all the craziness of Michele Bachmann, it’s almost a bit sad to know that under all that crazy is really a victim of sexism. You almost don’t even want to ask her to make you a sandwich….almost. Truthfully though, I hope America can someday come to the conclusion that women aren’t only just useful in the kitchen, although we are hella awesome in the kitchen, but maybe, just maybe women would be hella awesome as president too.