Dear Jane, Cali and Ande,
Wowzers!
Did you know that you can earn friends just as easily as you can gain enemies (that send hate mail!!) by posting something like this JOKE in your status update on facebook?
"Dear Lord...in the past year, you have taken away my favorite actor (Patrick Swayze), my favorite actress (Brittany Murphy), my favorite musician (Michael Jackson), my favorite salesman (Billie Mays), and my favorite athlete (Chris Henry). I just wanted to let you know...my favorite president is Barrack Obama."
A lot of people found it as humorous as I did. Others obviously didn't.
Touchy, touchy, touchy....
A friend sent this:
"I'm so proud of how Christian you are! Wishing our democratically elected leaders dead! 8 years ago they would have said you were unpatriotic. Times have changed" Your mom made us kneel and pray for pres Reagan before dinner. Now your wishing a pres dead. Where's are democracy? Isn't there whether your party wins or loses?"
"Well I guess wishing people dead is only part of your christianity. Is that what you are teaching in your home school? Sounds familiar"
(I'm assuming 'sounds familiar' is referring to the Mormon church and proposition 8. I also did not mistype anything. The typos are directly cut and pasted.)
A relative sent this:
"This is a sick joke Rachel. It's UGLY! I thought you were better than this.
There is a difference between disagreeing and wishing someone dead. There are plenty of people in the U.S. wishing Obama dead which is over the top. I don't recall that much animosity where people were wishing Bush dead. At least I didn't hear it. Out of office maybe, but not dead. The tone of these times have changed and some of it has to do with Obama being black. It was okay to kill black people in the past and get away with it. I find it unfortunate that Obama has to have triple the bodyguards. People making jokes about his death only add to the psychos craziness out there. Any other kind of criticism of fair game, but not death. That is where I lose my sense of humor. Then to have all your friends think it was funny too, made me really wonder what is happening to people. I guess I wrote it as much to them as I did to you."
Do you know that I don't even know who Chris Henry is?? I wonder if they laughed when it circulated a few years ago with the names changed. I found it funny then, but will admit I find it even funnier today.
So that has been my day.
Jane, do you remember when you got all the hate mail after your blog on Obama and health care? Did it make you want to hide in a hole, fight, or ignore it?
I find myself doing all three. Bert's going to KILL me when he reads the response. I didn't ignore it very well... No matter how many times I told the inner 'natural man', "Down Boy, Down!" it just didn't mind! Sigh... Too late. And since I've carelessly offended half the family recently, might as well make it an even dozen.
Here's my reply:
Dear
I don't mind at all that you didn't think I was funny. I don't mind at all that you are upset with the other people who thought it was funny. I also don't mind that you voice your opinion that you didn't think it was funny. I find it refreshing that you would. But, somewhere along the line you have to be able to distinguish between really wishing somebody were dead, and a joke. There is a difference.
That you don't find it humorous to joke about these things is fine, but when you imply that other people who do are seriously wanting to kill, or racist, or phsyco crazy because they have a different sense of humor than you, ... well, that's where we are very, very different. And, because I find it very hypocritical and offensive, I'm so very glad we are.
Someday, when your anger at me subsides and you are able to see that we're still both good people even though my politics and humor may run different to yours, I hope to hear from you again. May I be so bold as to offer a word of advice? I wouldn't check my blog anymore. I write it for myself, and obviously my self offends you. I wouldn't want to do that again as it hasn't been pleasant.
Good luck to you in the future. I doubt we'll be coming to the reunion, - especially now :) - as it's no fun to go where people think you need to be committed.
Sincerely,
Rachel
The end.
Or at least I hope.
Sheesh...
Other random news:
Hydn has just discovered he has talented feet like the rest of us. He's using his toes to eat his cheerios.
I have oodles of laundry to do, and other than that I have nothing much else on my list for today.
Oh wait. I forgot. I do have something to do today. The irony is too much!! (You'll appreciate it Cali.) I have to prepare a lesson for Relief Society tomorrow. It's on - wait for it- wait for it.... REPENTANCE. HA. I should rock.
Love, Rachel
Any emails regarding how much you love me would be much appreciated today...
Also, anyone out there want another good joke? I've got several.
