Uppity Pigs 'N Lipstick: How the Issues Got Lost in the Shuffle

The upcoming Presidential election has to be one of the most important in recent history. The economy is in the tank, we are over six years into a war very few still believe we should ever have gotten into, our dependence on foreign oil is at the bottom of both problems, and whoever takes the reigns on January 20th of next year will have to work very hard to get us out of the hole we've dug ourselves into. Not a job many of us would want to walk into, I dare say. However, there were several Americans who stepped up and offered to take it on, each dropping off at one point or another, leaving us with only two - John McCain and Barack Obama. You would think the issues mentioned above, along with the myriad of others not listed, would provide enough drama for the voters to sink their teeth into while trying to determine which of those two will man the reigns of government for the next four years. You'd be wrong, apparently.

What has taken over instead is whether a Georgia Congressman calling the Obamas "uppity" is a racial slur, or whether the use of the word "lipstick" is a backhanded slap at Sarah Palin, John McCain's VP pick. Oh, yeah, and whether adding "pig" to the mix makes that slap a sexist one as well. Well, excuse me, but......ARE YOU ALL OUT OF YOUR EVERLOVIN' MINDS?????

People are losing their jobs, their homes, their medical insurance, and their sense of security. Young American soldiers are still dying on foreign soil in a war that was said to be over more than six years ago. We are having to decide whether we'll buy food, pay the water bill, or buy the medicine we're supposed to be taking to keep ourselves healthy and even alive. The polar caps are melting, more storms (and stronger ones) than ever before are slamming into us each year, the air we breathe is filthy, and the food we eat is becoming more and more dangerous for us because of weakened inspection guidelines, but all we can concentrate on is petty political bickering? What's wrong with this picture?

Uppity. I use it a lot. I'm white, I live in a mostly white area of the country that was mostly populated by people migrating from the south, and uppity is simply a word that gets used to denote those who think they're better than everyone else. White, black, brown.....doesn't matter. I've never thought of it as a racial term, although I can see how some might. Now, I won't say using the word is right or wrong, it's only a fact. It's used all the time, by a lot of people about a lot of other people, regardless of the race of either side. I will say, if it upsets you, it's your right to be hurt or angry. But, to make the use of the word a headline grabbing matter, considering all the other things that are going on these days is utterly ridiculous. Let it go.

And when did the word "lipstick" become the sole domain of Sarah Palin? Yes, she used it in her speech to the Republicans at their convention. Yes, it was cute, even funny. But does that make it hers? Does anyone else using it give her something to complain about? No on both counts. If so, I and thousands of others all over this country who sell cosmetics are in big trouble, since selling lipstick is part of our every-day work. What do we do if we can't use the term? "Excuse me, have you seen our newest line of colored waxy sticks to use on your mouth?" Get real. And as for the saying "You can put lipstick on a pig, but it's still a pig", it is as old as time, pretty much, and it's been used by millions of people who want to say no matter how you describe something or try to cover it up, it's still what it is. Heck, John McCain used the same saying while talking about Hillary Clinton's failed Healthcare attempt of the 90's. I never heard any uproar over that being an insult to her.

Nope, it's all a bunch of much ado over nothing, a ploy to keep us from discussing the really important issues facing us. It's keeping us from asking the hard questions of each candidate, such as "What are your plans to fix the economy", "How are you going to get us out of this unholy war", "What really is your plan for taxes", "What will you do about Social Security, education, healthcare, gas prices, global warming, etc." While we're all concentrating on the slights supposedly flying from all sides, real or imagined, McCain and Obama are allowed to skate on by, saying nothing of importance. While we're feeling protective of "our side", and amazed at the audacity of "theirs", the two Presidential candidates are being kept busy trying to answer the inane questions about the faux pas of each side. The result is, we don't know any more about what each of them stands for now than we did before. Are you OK with that?

I want to step into the voting booth on November 4th with the certain knowledge that I have heard everything each has to say about all the subjects of importance to me in this election, and secure in my choice to the best of my ability. I don't want to step in there and have to decide whether a supposed racial slur from a supporter of one side outweighs the supposed sexist attack on a woman from the other. Honestly, I don't give a flying fig about either issue. What I do care about is which man will make life for me, my kids and grandkids, and everyone I know and care about better by the end of their stint in the White House. How about you? If you agree with me, let both sides know enough is enough. Hold their feet to the fire and make them answer the hard questions so we can make an intelligent, educated decision. The best man may not win, but it shouldn't be for lack of trying to find out which one that truly is.