Thoughts Over Catnip

Hello My Dear Friends! For the past week and, I suspect, during the week to come I have been receiving 3-4 political calls per day. Most are robo-calls asking for push-button answers to a host of stupid questions. I, for one, always give the opposite answer of what I believe or, if given the chance, choose the most outrageous option available. I do the same thing with "where are they now" questionnaires from college and the like. The last one of those I filled out I said I was studying the cotton-top tamarin monkey in the rain forests of Colombia. I never heard from them again. I do this, not just to mess with them, but because I don't think it's any of their business. Today an actual human being called to ask about my political views. Oh Joy! The conversation went something like this:
Goober: If the election were held today, who would you vote for?
Me: For whom
Goober: I beg your pardon.
Me: You said who would you vote for. It's for whom would you vote.
Goober: Okay. So who would, or, er, um whom would it be.
Me: Bernie Sanders, unless it's raining, then John Kasich
Goober: Ooookay, so Bernie Sanders?
Me: Unless it's raining. It's bad luck to vote for Socialists in the rain. Even Democratic Socialists.
Goober: Thanks for your time...click
We didn't even get to talk about the issues! Oh well, next time.
Remember when television commercials were entertaining? Many of them now are just baffling. Take Liberty Mutual Insurance. There message appears to be "Hey, we'll insure any idiot on the road"! Have you seen the one with the couple who claim to have had "a perfect driving record" until one of them hits a food truck. They're upset because their insurance company raised their rates. You hit a freaking food truck! Do you know how big they are? You're a hazard. You shouldn't even be on the road. Then there's that on-line University of Phoenix commercial where the girl is singing to the tune of "If I Only Had A Brain". A verse in it says "took two bullets to the chest, got three kids, I never rest, and I've also got a brain". Really? LOL! Could have fooled me. I have no idea what that has to do with choosing a University but more power to you!
Finally, the debate over White Privilege roars on with many Universities holding workshops and retreats to address the issue. For those of us who are clueless to our obvious White Privilege, Mount Holyoke College has cleared it up for us. Excerpts from their website, "White Privilege is a set of advantages and/or immunities that white people benefit from on a daily basis. The inability to recognize that many of the advantages that whites hold are a direct result of the disadvantages of other people. It's about thinking that your clothes, manner of speech, and behavior in general, are racially neutral when, if fact, they are white. It's about not having to assume your daily interactions with people have racial overtones." I hope that clears it up for you. Now, go and enjoy the weekend!
Po