I was watching a Tom and Jerry video with my kiddos and right before it started, Whoopi Goldberg came on explaining that some of the cartoons featured the black Mammy character, the only human ever featured in the Tom and Jerry cartoons, and that there had been requests to delete scenes involving her or stop showing those cartoons because the depiction is racist. So wait--our apology to those who were treated poorly in the past is going to include pretending they didn't exist? Am I seeing this wrong or is that a bizarre solution?
Especially when it comes to the southern black housekeeper on Tom and Jerry. Whether we like it now or not, there were black women like this--strong, hardworking women who were raising other people's kids and caring for their homes who happened to speak with a southern dialect due to their geographical location. Do we really think they would rather we just pretend they never existed since they weren't treated well or paid fair wages?
And let's face it, Tom and Jerry smoke, drink, play with fire, shoot guns, flirt with skanky female cats and mice, destroy things and seem to exist only to emotionally and physically torture each other...and people have a problem with the black housekeeper who occasionally shoos them out of the house or feeds the cat?? Wow.They didn't delete those scenes since the cartoons wouldn't work without them and since the housekeeper was an important character, but the fact that they even needed to try to explain to kids that her inclusion could be considered racist (when there is PLENTY of real valid racism even these days, unfortunately), seemed unnecessary and absurd.
Growing up Southern is a privilege, really. It's more than where you are born-it's an idea, a state of mind that seems imparted at birth. It's more than loving fried chicken, sweet tea, high school football, beer, and acoustic guitars. It's being hospitable, being devoted to front porches, moon pies, sun drops, and each other. 
I went to run errons with my 2 kiddos on Saturday and got this conversation as we passed an old barn and a pond. 
See this fish... well Disney put a personality to it and called her DORY in the movie Finding Nemo -Ellen Degenerous is the voice. Either way, I have been nicknamed Dori for several years now.... not sure if that was a compliment or not back in the day. I am more like her these days than ever before. She has what they call short term memory loss.. I think this comes with birthing children. Then raising 2 littles so close together you never seem to remember ANYTHING. I find myself making endless list and yeah you guessed it forgetting where I put the list. I know on the outside most of you think I got it together....and perception goes a long way. The fact is I barley have anything together or it feels that way...shewww when does it end.. when do we ever get to PSherman 42 Wallaby Way Sydney???? If and when I get there I hope they have lots of beers, someone to rub my feet, and tons of sunshine. Heck I may even be able to talk a little WHALE by thennnn..... Wwwwwwoooooooaaaaaaaaahhhhhhh
Hab you Eber seen Slug Snot?? Well my oldest decided while we were on vacation to be the nature kid. We turned over everything in site to see what kinda bug was under it. Although, these slugs just showed their faces voluntarily... and Oh My... the trail of slime and snot they leave behind is brutal. Seemed like every afternoon we had to literally scrub and scrub to get the snail snot off... it wasn't the normal scrubby dubby and say your ABC's and you are done. No No we said the ABC's & 123's over and over. Then had to bust out the scrub brush to remove some of the long lingering snail snot. Not sure what that stuff is made of but WOW...
Shewww we have come a LONG way on the hair project. I just love this picture of my brother and I (the New one) just cracks me up. You soooooo goofy!!
Look closely... no Uh-Oh road, no 2 hour line of traffic, no email every 5 seconds. I forgot how nice it was to just sit and listen to the wind blow through the leaves. If you look close you can see the white side of the leaves. Something I don't see much of in the big lights & big city of Austin. I turned my computer off and barley took calls for 2 entire weeks. Oh how nice it was to just sit and relax outside in 70 degree weather and listen to the horses and the trees. My kids got to run free and do as they please without constantly telling them "No No No" I just can't wait to move to the country and relax more than 2 hours a day. I tell ya there is something to be said for takin in a little piece God's country instead of hitting the fast paced, no non sense, keepin up with the Jone's lifestyle every single minute. Ahhhhhhhh please don't make me go back!!~
