WOW! I had no idea my post about the NFL cheerleaders would get so much attention and pluck so many nerves! I’ve never had a “real” debate like that in my comments, and it was fascinating to watch it unfold. Except for a few comments that got a little too personal, that is. But those folks can’t help it if they’re not nearly as enlightened as my loyal readers! Most commenters understood my point and appreciated the debate, and I’d like to thank you all for weighing in.
Yes, even you.
And thanks, Washington Express, for quoting me! Come back again and visit soon!
Listen. We’re all mature adults here, right? And really, with the state of the world these days, and in the larger scheme of things, does any of this really, really matter? Aren’t we all just dust in the wind?
One commenter who came late to yesterday’s dance thought our discussion was all a bunch of fluff:
Get a life people, everything in this world had gotten sexier, why wouldnt cheerleaders, and cheerleaders dont cheer much anymore they dance. I think there are more important issues out there!
WOW! Great point! There are more important issues out there! Lots of ‘em! And we should be discussing them right here in this space.
It’s time to get serious!
Taking my commenter’s lead, I propose we dispense with all humor and instead debate some weightier topics. Matters of import. Take poverty, for instance. I learned here that:
According to UNICEF, 25,000 children die each day due to poverty. And they “die quietly in some of the poorest villages on earth, far removed from the scrutiny and the conscience of the world. Being meek and weak in life makes these dying multitudes even more invisible in death.”
And then there’s the crisis in Darfur, summarized here by Amnesty International:
The conflict in Darfur, Sudan, has led to some of the worst human rights abuses imaginable, including systematic and widespread murder, rape, abduction and displacement. Hundreds of thousands of civilians have been killed by both deliberate and indiscriminate attacks, and over 2.5 million civilians have been displaced. Though violence persists, the UN Security Council has mandated what may be an effective peacekeeping operation to guarantee security for the people of Darfur.
Oh, and how about healthcare reform? And the whole thing about the so-called “death panels” (thanks, Sarah Palin!)?
The America I know and love is not one in which my parents or my baby with Down Syndrome will have to stand in front of Obama’s “death panel” so his bureaucrats can decide, based on a subjective judgment of their “level of productivity in society,” whether they are worthy of health care. Such a system is downright evil.
Now there is some heavy stuff! Some meaty issues! I mean, who are we to be debating the merits of whether the “cheerleaders” are really leading cheers and whether their provocative dancing belongs on the sidelines of an NFL game, and whether the NFL game is really just about the GAME, or part of a larger spectacle that includes a variety of entertainment items, much like a three-ring circus?
WHAT WAS I THINKING?
**slaps forehead**
So, if anyone cares to debate a more serious topic, choose from one of the above, or pick your own and let’s get started! You over there, lurking behind your monitor? You go first.
Filed under: irony, Old enough to know better, perspective, rant, sign of the times, Why I'm The Way I Am Tagged: | Darfur crisis, death panel, poverty, serious issues
Han shot first!
Those are very big topics, Meg.
The larger question is, why do people care so passionately about some issues (cheerleaders) and not others (poverty)? I think much of it is scope and scale and connection — it is hard to raise emotional interest in large-scale issues to which people do not feel connected. If the large-scale issues are reframed to provide more personal references, they become easier to understand and to feel concern about.
And that explains the grassroots angst that has arisen about healthcare reform — that subject affects people directly, in many cases. But the healthcare issues are so numerous, that it is difficult for most people to sort through all of them and get a handle on them. This explains how coining an emotional phrase (“death panel”) dominates the national discussion for a time, even though it was immediately seen as a typically Palinesque conclusion by both sides of the political spectrum.
So let’s talk instead about how the Redskins Cheerleaders can help with world poverty or Darfur or healthcare reform. We need to sexify those issues if we want real attention paid to them! :-)
ps: BTW, I am now trademarking the term “Palinesque” to mean — well, we all know what it means, right? :-)
ps: Sorry for the long post.
You raise a good point Jack. Some issues are so big, the individual person doesn’t feel they can make a difference, and so why should they care. Don’t get me started on the healthcare thing – I have been fighting by email all morning to get our COBRA coverage reinstated even though we paid the premium on time. It’s a ridiculous system at best.
But maybe the cheerleaders would be willing to make a special appearance at the next Darfur rally? Or maybe they could be FB Friends with Sarah Palin?
Actually, as some commenters pointed out yesterday, they do get involved in community activities, so maybe they’re already out there collecting canned goods for the food bank. Every little bit helps.
I thought your post was awesome and it’s not just because I love your blog and consider myself to be a friend…or because I am female…I think the most poignant thought for me was…what kinda of role models are they providing for the young women of our country. To me, “sexing it up” is often associated with “dumbing it down”. And I’m not down with that.
On another note…it’s your blog…write whatever you want.
Thanks Marlene – I do, and I will!
Lets discuss .. Sarah Palin Cheerleader or RabbleRouser?
Or lets discuss how nasty a few of those commentors were … isnt it fascinating how when at a loss for a good argument, debating point some commentors dumb down and use the old personal attack method of debate …
Too boring. Let’s talk about cheerleaders again!
;)
Did you guys see the last comment on yesterday’s post, that was just posted late this morning? Sheesh!
I’m all for debate. Just let’s don’t get personal. I didn’t. Why did they?
As always I’m late to the party…but being late allows me the chance to sit back and ask an interesting question.
Why do certain people always assume, when someone makes a point about the cheerleaders at professional sporting events or strippers, or Hooters servers, that the person making the point/proffering an opinion must be fat, ugly, dumb or otherwise unattractive and said opinion is based on jealousy.
Just doesn’t make any sense to me.
Meg, great post. You touched on a subject regarding the Jr. Cheerleaders that gets me really red hot…little girls who are made to look like 21 year olds! Irritates the h3ll out of me. There’s a show on TLC called Toddlers and Tiaras and if you’ve ever seen it, you’ll know what I’m talking about. Some of those 4 year olds are made up to look like 15 year olds and it’s disgusting.
And I say this as a parent of a damned cute little girl…who is cute on her own, without the tons of make up and hair falls/wigs. So there’s no jealousy, just a underlying feeling of, “when do these kids get to be little kids?”
Audrey, I don’t get that one either – like my comments just be driven out of intense jealousy that I’m not like them. Frankly, nothing could be further from the truth. Oh sure, to have that bod would be swell, but even if I did, would I be doing THAT with it? Probably not. Just not my style. Of course maybe I wouldn’t be me if I did have that bod…
Yeah, the whole JonBenet Ramsay thing just freaks me the heck out. I don’t get it. I have never seen that show but I probably wouldn’t watch but 30 seconds of it anyway. Too creepy.
Aw crap. I was hoping to come back here and discover that someone had started a Peckers franchise and a Peckers Airlines and all the women cheerleaders everywhere were being replaced by the Chippendale Dancers or that husbands were going to pack their wives’ travel bags with sauce and such .
Just my luck. Daggone it.
Anywho,apropos of nothing, please keep working on the fam regarding November (or any time really there doesn’t have to be a specific reason).
Also, I”ve been focusing on that day at Bud’s Beach a lot and find that it has a way of putting everything in perspective. Life is good, and so are you. Amen.
Right back atcha, CBW! Thanks for being you and for being here!
Peckers franchise with an airline to boot? CBW, you’re cracking me up.
Peckers? I’m in.
Peckers….now that’s something to explore! Maybe…
Great response. I love those people who come to your article and then take the time to tell us how we are all just wasting our time. I get that a lot, too. But as Jeff Spicoli said, ‘Isn’t it OUR time?” (Oh, sorry. Another meaningless reference to pop culture. Bad!)
Most of your commenters were passionate and reasonable, even if I didn’t agree with many of them and even if I thought they were arguing adjunct issues. But there’s always someone who starts with “oh yeah, well you’re stupid” or similar, as a knee-jerk response to his/her own inability to make a point honestly. I was tremendously impressed with your reasoning, your sticking to the topic and sticking to your guns, and the general civility of most of it. Kudos.
Also? You’re DAMNED CUTE, SOUP! If I weren’t a married heterosexual woman . . . ha ha. : )