Is Dumb the New Sexy (Again)?
I am sure the topic has been blogged-to-death but I can't help pondering the appeal of Sarah Palin. It is undeniable to me that she is what she promotes herself to be - Hockey Mom, Jane Sixpack, a woman who would blow a moose away given the right set of circumstances. Sarah's bloodthirsty in the most adorable way.
Watching Tina Fey on Saturday Night Live command attention with her spot-on impersonation is, without a doubt, the humor highlight of the campaign season. While I appreciate Tina Fey's talent, the truth is, it is the same old "dumb blond" routine we've all seen year after year. It's a schtick we all know and love; Frank Zappa's Valley Girl, Marilyn Monroe's undying persona, the Chrissy Snow character on the '70's sitcom Three's Company...the list goes on an on. But why is dumb so sexy to so many? Is this quality, sans the blond, whether real or cunning and strategic, a liability or the true appeal of Sarah Palin?
Check this out - SNL writers don't need to struggle too hard for a script - Sarah writes it for them:
The question I keep asking myself is how can anyone - Republican, Conservative, Evangelical, Independent or Undecided - seriously contemplate electing Governor Palin into the office of Vice President of the United States? This is a woman who believes, and stated on national t.v., that geographical proximity to Canada (and don't forget those pesky Russians!) qualifies her as a foreign policy advisor to the President. I am truly frightened that this Inflatable Sex Doll Vice President would be so close to the Presidency. Judging by the way John McCain acted during the last Presidential debate, he's liable to just wander off one day, leaving us with the new President Palin. Will she be winking and saying (over her backyard fence, one would presume) "You betcha!" to Vladimir Putin one day?
Perhaps subconsciously we all want her in the spotlight to guarantee our ringside seat for the next silly thing she says - it's truly entertaining - and we might call this quality the "Dan Quayle Effect." We're all so busy rubbernecking at every brain-dead comment and its ensuing hilarity, we may fail to recognize that the sinister truth is these simpleminded politicians have, or will have, incredible power and influence. Former President George H. W. Bush eventually admitted that he "blew it" by choosing Dan Quayle. Here's the proof:
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C06E7DC133DF936A35753C1A961958260&fta=y
And some evidence to support his belief:
Will we have to wait until after the election for John McCain to admit he "blew it," too?
And I have a question for Senator Joe Biden - why were you so congenial with Governor Palin during the Vice Presidential debate? You're known for your loose lips - why so controlled? Fools need to be called out - it's the only way to possibly awaken the voters. Instead, we risk the chance that she may actually be elected. Although ultimately not effective, something along these lines would have been, at the very least, a moment of relief for those of us who see the danger of a dolt in office:
Governor Palin, whether acting stupid or actually dim (I think a combination of both) is attempting to appeal to, as she sees us, the salt-of-the-earth folks out there, saying she is one of us and an "outsider." Personally, I am insulted - why do these slippery politicians equate low to middle income, simple living and anonymity - the trappings of the commoners - to a lack of intelligence? Is Sarah Palin really 'speakin' our language' when she drops the "g" off of every verb in the present continuous tense? Why does Sarah Palin and the GOP believe that by presenting her this way, she will appeal to the majority of Americans?
And if we are truly as stupid as they want us to believe we are, then my question to the common electorate is this - given the current crisis situations here at home and abroad - do you really want someone just like you in the White House - or do you want someone smarter?
Watching Tina Fey on Saturday Night Live command attention with her spot-on impersonation is, without a doubt, the humor highlight of the campaign season. While I appreciate Tina Fey's talent, the truth is, it is the same old "dumb blond" routine we've all seen year after year. It's a schtick we all know and love; Frank Zappa's Valley Girl, Marilyn Monroe's undying persona, the Chrissy Snow character on the '70's sitcom Three's Company...the list goes on an on. But why is dumb so sexy to so many? Is this quality, sans the blond, whether real or cunning and strategic, a liability or the true appeal of Sarah Palin?
Check this out - SNL writers don't need to struggle too hard for a script - Sarah writes it for them:
The question I keep asking myself is how can anyone - Republican, Conservative, Evangelical, Independent or Undecided - seriously contemplate electing Governor Palin into the office of Vice President of the United States? This is a woman who believes, and stated on national t.v., that geographical proximity to Canada (and don't forget those pesky Russians!) qualifies her as a foreign policy advisor to the President. I am truly frightened that this Inflatable Sex Doll Vice President would be so close to the Presidency. Judging by the way John McCain acted during the last Presidential debate, he's liable to just wander off one day, leaving us with the new President Palin. Will she be winking and saying (over her backyard fence, one would presume) "You betcha!" to Vladimir Putin one day?
Perhaps subconsciously we all want her in the spotlight to guarantee our ringside seat for the next silly thing she says - it's truly entertaining - and we might call this quality the "Dan Quayle Effect." We're all so busy rubbernecking at every brain-dead comment and its ensuing hilarity, we may fail to recognize that the sinister truth is these simpleminded politicians have, or will have, incredible power and influence. Former President George H. W. Bush eventually admitted that he "blew it" by choosing Dan Quayle. Here's the proof:
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C06E7DC133DF936A35753C1A961958260&fta=y
And some evidence to support his belief:
Will we have to wait until after the election for John McCain to admit he "blew it," too?
And I have a question for Senator Joe Biden - why were you so congenial with Governor Palin during the Vice Presidential debate? You're known for your loose lips - why so controlled? Fools need to be called out - it's the only way to possibly awaken the voters. Instead, we risk the chance that she may actually be elected. Although ultimately not effective, something along these lines would have been, at the very least, a moment of relief for those of us who see the danger of a dolt in office:
Governor Palin, whether acting stupid or actually dim (I think a combination of both) is attempting to appeal to, as she sees us, the salt-of-the-earth folks out there, saying she is one of us and an "outsider." Personally, I am insulted - why do these slippery politicians equate low to middle income, simple living and anonymity - the trappings of the commoners - to a lack of intelligence? Is Sarah Palin really 'speakin' our language' when she drops the "g" off of every verb in the present continuous tense? Why does Sarah Palin and the GOP believe that by presenting her this way, she will appeal to the majority of Americans?
And if we are truly as stupid as they want us to believe we are, then my question to the common electorate is this - given the current crisis situations here at home and abroad - do you really want someone just like you in the White House - or do you want someone smarter?
posted by Lord Erstwhile Hopton at 9:32 AM
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