Ten things that should be April Fool’s Day jokes but, sadly, are not

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(In the spirit of sharing some of our favorite works by Julie Waters, I thought I’d re-post this one. There are so many to choose from, and each has its merits, but this one, to me, showcases her unique ability to bring a different perspective to issues. While sites, including this one, were celebrating April Fools day with fun fictitious follies, she kept us aware of the ludicrousness, and seriousness, of real follies happening in the real world. – promoted by simplify)

#1: The dissapointment of racist “Hunger Games” fans.

Yes.  People who were described in the books as dark-skinned were portrayed by dark skinned actors and people got offended.  

#2: Pretty much every single thing about the Trayvon Martin case and Florida’s insane “stand your ground” law, which should possibly be renamed the “lynch mob protection act.”  I wonder how all this will play out the first time a non-white person tries to evade prosecution using the law.

Question: if you wear a sleeveless hoodie, can you be legitimately classified as “unarmed?”

#3: The National Organization for Marriage and everything about them, but especially this:

#4: Rick Santorum calling Obama a “nig-” and then backing off in mid sentence.

So what we have here is Santorum referring to Obama starting with the word “nig-” and then stopping in mid-sentence and saying something else instead.

Now, unless he was trying to accuse Obama of being “niggardly,” (which, to me, seems unlikely) I’m having trouble understanding what else he might have possibly meant in this case if he wasn’t about to accidentally let loose a racial slur.

Beyond finding this to be extremely offensive, I find the whole thing just bizarre and unfathomably sad. Words like this don’t come out of the blue. They come out of having direct experience with the use of the word as a normal part of everyday life. The idea that a nominee for a major political party who’s actually won a few primaries is in the environment where this sort of thing is comfortable is deeply disturbing, and should be regardless of your party affiliation.

#5: Potential Employers demanding Facebook passwords from potential employees.  Seriously, people?  I like what a friend of mine said about this: “ask your interviewees for their fb passwords. If they give them to you, that’s a no-hire.”

#6: The whole crazy, over the top, insane, absurd idea the war on women is about religious freedom.  

#7: The idea that the health care mandate has anything to do with broccoli.  I don’t have the capacity for expressing this the way Lewis Black would, so just watch the video at the end to get the sense of how I feel about this.

#8: The weather.  It was nice to get to wear capris and sandals last week, but I live in Vermont.  We don’t do that.

#9: Bigoted ads intended to marginalize people whose gender expression is not mainstream:

I don’t know if I can keep saying this, but, really?  You people wasted money on that piece of drivel?  

#10: The entire GOP primary season.  I’m not going to post a link.  I just can’t choose.

To summarize, today I am playing the role of Lewis Black, because he can do cranky so much better than I can.

Yes, I am that cranky.

One thought on “Ten things that should be April Fool’s Day jokes but, sadly, are not”

  1. Our neighbor in NH is one of those states, as of last year, where the law was passed over the Governor’s veto.

    It’s not terribly popular with many in law enforcement:

    http://www.lawofficer.com/arti…

    Grafton County Attorney Lara Saffo, who joined with other prosecutors to oppose passage of the New Hampshire version last year, said supporters could never cite an actual scenario where the measure was needed, because under previous law, a shooting in self- defense was still justified if no safe retreat was available.

    “We were trying to fix something that was never broken,” said Saffo.

    …

    Saffo said she doesn’t know all the facts of the case, but the problem with the theory behind “stand your ground” laws is that “unfortunately, Trayvon Martin can’t say what happened. We don’t have Trayvon Martin’s side of the story.”

    And I have to take issue with this tidbit of continued lazy reporting about Trayvon Martin’s killer:

    … the neighborhood watchperson who allegedly shot him ….

    Zimmerman was NOT part of Neighborhood Watch, according to a press release from the National Sheriff’s Association, the parent organization of Neighborhood Watch:

    Alexandria, VA – For nearly four decades, the Neighborhood Watch Program (housed within the National Sheriffs’ Association (NSA)) has worked to unite law enforcement agencies, private organizations, and individual citizens in a nation-wide effort to reduce crime and improve local communities.

    The purpose of the Neighborhood Watch Program is to enable citizens to act as the “eyes and ears” within their community and alert law enforcement immediately when they notice suspicious activity. However, the Neighborhood Watch Program does not in any way, shape, or form advocate citizens to take the law in their own hands. The success of the program has established Neighborhood Watch as the nation’s premier crime prevention and community mobilization program. Visible signs of the program are seen throughout America on street signs, window decals, community block parties and service projects.

    “The alleged action of a “self-appointed neighborhood watchman” last month in Sanford, FL significantly contradicts the principles of the Neighborhood Watch Program,” stated NSA Executive Director Aaron D. Kennard, Sheriff (ret.). “NSA has no information indicating the community where the incident occurred has ever even registered with the NSA Neighborhood Watch program.”

    “The Neighborhood Watch Program fosters collaboration and cooperation with the community and local law enforcement by encouraging citizens to be aware of what is going on in their communities and contact law enforcement if they suspect something – NOT take the law in their own hands,” continued Executive Director Kennard. “The alleged participant ignored everything the Neighborhood Watch Program stands for and it resulted in a young man losing his life. Our thoughts and prayers are with the family of Trayvon Martin during this terrible time.”

    In addition, you only use “allegedly” when the suspect has not admitted to committing the act in question.

    Zimmerman has admitted to shooting Martin – it is a fact, not an allegation that Zimmerman shot Martin.

    The attempt to paint Zimmerman as some kind of misguided hero via the false Neighborhood Watch narrative makes me sick. The attempt to imply potential innocence, which even Zimmerman does not claim, is abhorrent.

    The only question in this case is whether or not Zimmerman will be sheltered from murder charges by the “stand your ground” law, which is where the evidentiary process is focused.

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