Warhol Meet Palin: There's the Door!

In the future everyone will be world famous for 15 minutes - Andy Warhol

Failed VP candidate Sarah Palin is holding on for dear life what Warhol so famously quipped about! It's a looong way to 2012 though! I had a laugh as her continued attention addiction led her this week to complain Caroline Kennedy gets the white glove treatment and how the big bad bloggers openly ridiculed her. Why should she care what we think? We're just "losers who live in the basement and wear pjs" anyway. Psst! We have moved on - and so should you pretty lady with the guns. I needed a Sunday filler post to be frank and I do derive a little bit of pleasure poking fun at her. It's the hypocrisy that compels me to discuss this though.

This reminds me of last spring's Democratic primary when Hillary Clinton would not leave. She had been trailing since Iowa in reality and never recovered from the Obama Movement, but being the fighter that she is meant wearing out her welcome. She still has campaign debt by the way even though she and Bill are worth 8 figures. She's not the most qualified candidate for the job either but she's likely to be our next Secretary of State. They all think they're Effie White, justified in their stubbornness and unfairly cast aside. What happened to competing on a level playing field? Why the huge sense of entitlement? The reality is their time was just up. Or at least it should have been. Hillary still got a fat reward for being Obama's nemesis.

The thing she and Sarah have in common besides ovaries is the all-hallowed WPP. White Woman Privilege - or White Woman Pedestal depending on how you'd like to define the situation. It's how Ann Coulter and Elisabeth Hasslebeck bask in their pedestal privilege while sneering at Michelle Obama but get away with it because they "have friends who are or date Black men". In Sarah's case it's when you get praised for your mediocrity while claiming to be at a disadvantage. What else explains the corporate media fawning? Openly courting racists? Especially after (nearly) everyone had figured out what a fraud her image was compared to the reality. In Hillary's case it was the ridiculous argument that sexism trumped racism in the Oppression Olympics which it clearly doesn't when there's zero consideration of  any non-white women in this equation. Hello!!!

WPP is why Affirmative Action mostly benefits the Sarahs, the Anns as well as the Hillarys of this country. That and legacy admissions/promotions and having your relationship with a male relative be a boon to you career-wise. Be it generational wealth or generational considerations it's hard not to succeed when it is expected for you to do so and a path has been cleared. Not that we all don't have our individual trials and tribulations, but certainly we can see they are all still here and that the Hill & Bill show will never be cancelled. 

The only push back I noticed was from certain members of the Republican wing who didn't like their accidental Chosen One. She believed all of her own hype - remember how shocked she looked when McCain conceded? Your gonna love me - or else! It wasn't the Democrats that leaked the clothing non-troversy. Even I thought that was rather low (some of the time) but some quarters of society view the dumbing down of their party a serious mistake. They'll take the votes of course but they don't want to actually have to see or interact with their minions. 

They would've had to relinquish the moral superiority crown and they did not want to be seen as common. The Republicans are known to be rich, elite, intelligent but exclusive (at least in their minds). Cocktails at the country club are de rigeur, not beer bongs and strip malls. The Palin clan came chock full o' nuts: kids with funny names, kids who'd dropped out of high school, kid(s) who had unintended and unplanned for pregnancies: if they weren't white they would've been the talking points of everything that's wrong with other people. How can they fundraise with the steerage passengers running the ship. Nuh unh!  

So if you're not familiar with the talent show, Showtime at the Apollo you'd recall the time after the crowd has spoken and the curtain is about to be drawn on the performer who has bombed? The show runners brought out the Sandman who yanked them off with his hook as he tap danced. Check out this hilarious sequence on the Cosby Show - no embedding allowed :(. Now I don't care for or underestimate the appeal that some still have for Sarah but I still say the exit is located Stage Left.....

Stupid People Do Stupid Things

Hey I'm including myself in this! I can look back and think of times I'd love to do-over. Like the time I mixed cream-based alcoholic beverages with sushi with wine all in the same evening. When protests lead to violence and the arrest of more than 100 people that is counterproductive. Those people that thought taking out their frustration for the Oscar Grant shooting on OPP (other people's property) was a good idea had to stand before the judge on Friday. You know I'm all for second chances but the attitudes of some of these people really alarm me. I know some people think you can't tell all of us apart but I'm not claiming them!

From the  Mercury News:

"I know it's a very frustrating time," Johnson said, referring to the police investigation into the shooting. "But Oscar would not want to see the violence and the fires. We believe this situation is going to come to a close and justice will be served. I'm asking you please, please, stop it and let justice prevail. Please stop it."

Let's just say I'm glad they live over the bridge and not in my neighborhood. I'm all for Black solidarity but I can't abide by foolishness and criminal activity. Smashing windows and setting cars on fire is not respectable Negro behavior. Yes, I know lots of people riot and over really dumb stuff like a sporting game (yeah I'm talking about Manchester United or similar). But those are dumbs acts by white people and truth be told, the greater society at large isn't going to hold it against all of them for what some of them do. Like with Black people. 

Besides this is bigger than that. When Oscar Grant's mother - in her time of grief - has to publicly urge people (as posted above) to stop acting like a da** fool because they're making things worse for the family then you are the problem! There are more protests scheduled and not all of the participants are Black but you know who's going to end up in the news should things go south. All that outrage should be channeled into something productive like completing an education, cleaning up the neighborhood (literally and figuratively) and focus on something besides playing ball or rapping about nonsense. That foolishness is not Black culture - that's displaying depravity and callousness. Which breeds apathy. Which breeds violence. We do not need to go there anymore.

Also people need to learn to engage politically. I've been mentioning this in a lot of posts because after last year I got the memo that 'real' change isn't going to happen from complaints, petitions or protests alone. More Black people have to learn to interact in all areas of society and navigate through sometimes unpleasant and unfair circumstances and do it while keeping one's cool with high self-esteem. It can be a tall order but it's necessary. We need to reach out to those who will support our endeavors and we cannot be our own islands. 

Have a vision for yourself beyond what you think is readily available. Be more positive. Trust me on this - it may be challenging but it's not impossible. 

From Immediate Influence Blog

The most powerful opposing force to achieving your goals in 2009 and beyond is YOU! More specifically, it’s the disempowering beliefs that you are harboring about yourself, your capabilities, and resources. For example, let’s suppose that in the past five, ten, or twenty years an associate of yours has repeatedly set a goal to earn six figures but it has never happened. Why didn’t it happen? It’s not that they didn’t want to achieve the goal. It’s that they allowed feelings/emotions to stop them during their journey.

Objects in the Mirror Seem More Important Than They Are

Seriously.

Last week it was about lipstick, pigs and dogs. Now it's about Obama Waffles. So what's it gonna be next week? I for one am sick to death of the fake outrage, distractions and non-troversies. The first Presidential debate kicks off September 26th and I for one can't wait. Then we'll really have something to complain about. 

• Will John McCain get all of the questions beforehand?  Probably. 
  
• Will the teevee pundits talk about how well he did even when any 5th grader would say he sucked?  Likely. 
  
• What are the odds of the moderator talking over Obama as he tries to answer a question on a scale of 1-100? 99.99%.   
  

As an update to my 2nd Friday post about my faith in humanity being somewhat restored I didn't get to mention that the women on the View pawned McCain - gasp! They actually asked questions, real questions from him and insisted he answer them. Thank goodness for the internets and video embedding cos I refuse to watch that bastion of partisan bias anymore. He actually got a little flustered. This is a morning talk show, people, not Meet the Press. 

We must have experienced an alternate universe where the corporate media wasn't doing everything possible to get McCain elected short of telling people outright to vote for him. I'm sure it was just a lapse in the space continuum and it won't happen again. 

You know as bad as it is that McCain chose Palin as his VP some good can come from this. Some women will be forced to examine their exclusionary behavior and racism. Some people who would like nothing better than to say they knew better all along will have to try to get along with others. I was actually proud of Obama for choosing a much stronger and competent candidate in comparison. If you took away the top of the ticket from both major parties would you want Joe Biden or Sarah Palin running this country? 

Perhaps now those people squawking about how 'inexperienced' Obama is will acknowledge the man's use of common sense and wisdom in things that count like the withdrawal of Iraq, the focus on Pakistan and the economy for example. One can hope, right? McCain's 26 years in the Senate equals his age difference to Obama only and in no way indicates he would make a suitable let alone a superior POTUS. 

You can take that one to the bank.

Update with video.

Since Anybody Can Be Picked for Vice President Why Not You Or Me?

So as you may have heard Sarah Palin fumbled a bit in her interview with newsreader Charles Gibson. See when you and your network are so biased and desperate for participation that you make what should be a continued vetting process an open book test you lose whatever credibility you have left. You should not get the kudos for being referred to as a journalist when everything you do is to the opposite of such a noble profession. Let's not let off all the other news organizations and so-called media elite who've taken a pass at vetting the Republicans while putting both Obamas through the wringer. They have done grave harm by not asking tough questions - especially when you pick and choose who to be tough with and who to coddle. Plus Gibson fed her the answers!!!

I still haven't forgotten that joke of a debate between Clinton and Obama where he was sandbagged and neither should we. When you are paid upwards of $8 MILLION per year to read from a teleprompter, not ask serious questions from your favored politician and KISS ASS, I have the right to cry foul at a fool. And the snide antics of that Survivor contestant who's the head bobblehead on the View have not gone unnoticed either. When you parrot your political party talking points down to the letter, talk out both sides of your mouth and cry on cue when called out on your prejudice you are just as offensive as the Trojan Moose being paraded as a serious contender.

Would Sarah Palin have gotten a job as Vice President at a Fortune 500 company? Or a major Charitable organization like the Ford Foundation? On Wall Street? Me thinks not! It just makes my blood boil to hear of how some women are so easily swayed by the idea of this woman as VP of the United States, just because she is a woman. That is not feminism. That is worship of motherhood and assignment of character traits we don't know she has. Furthermore, she is not the one in charge - unless those right-wing nutjobs who are pulling her puppet strings are planning on McCain taking ill as soon as he's sworn in. Shoot if I were McCain I'd be employing food testers, air sniffers and an extra extra pair of eyes and ears.

On the other hand Cindy has put a lot of time and money into promoting her hubby's political career so she can be First Ladyeeeeeee. I'm certain she'd be the real barracuda if Palin overstepped her role. Nobody puts Cindy in the corner! Seriously though these types of women kill me. They won't do the work by launching and running their own campaigns. They insist on living vicariously through men. Is this a testament of how far women have not come or how ruthless some women are in looking out for their own interests above anyone else's? How many women overcompensate when in a position of authority and are more overbearing, more rigid and less compassionate than some of their male counterparts? There is a distinct skill set involved in managing authority that is different from managing people.

This is truly Silly Season in this political season when all the Corporate Media talks about are animals and lipstick. It's a bait and switch to represent fake outrage while ignoring yet another investment company on the verge of collapse (Lehman), a pending natural disaster (Hurricane Ike) and how unprepared the country is for supporting more armed conflicts (Russia & Georgia).