Sarah Palin said something the other night during the vice presidential debate that has been bothering me...
She kept talking about soccer moms and how "scared" they are about the economy. She said something about soccer moms representing the average american. I was watching this train wretch with my husband and turned to him and asked what I felt was a very important question:"What exactly does the average american mom spend on soccer equipment and fees for her precious child anyway?"
He looked at me and muttered something about swimming, tennis, basketball and golf (the sports our children excel in) and stopped mid sentence as she said something else stupid and elitist....
So I looked it up...
Soccer ain't cheap people. According to the author of the article I found in On the Pitch, in his community, the costs can be between $500 - $1500 just to be in the league! This doesn't include all the equipment, etc. that goes with playing the actual game, that's just to go out on the field and say hi!!
My daughter was captain of her high school girls swim team, co-captain of the girls tennis team and manager of the boy's track team... I think I spent about $1500 on all three her senior year...grumbling happily that she wasn't somewhere smoking, drinking or otherwise destroying her body, mind and spirit. (seriously, this was money well spent on my social diva). Her brother plays AAU basketball (just wrote a check for that and he's picking out his new shoes as I write this) and he plays golf in the spring. Again, all to keep him busy and learning some team building skills. I will probably spend about $500 on him this year.
So what is my point in telling you this? Palin kept talking about and to a specific demographic as if the rest of us po folk ain't hollerin like fools on the sideline for OUR babies too...
I don't know a whole lot about Alaska, the average income per capita, etc.; that's information that is easily gleaned from the US Census report, but, well, I don't know... I wonder just how many kids play soccer in Alaska and how many parents up there spend the $1500 for their kids to do something other than shoot moose?
What button was she trying to push anyway? Who was she attempting to scare? The ones that will cut back on backyard barbeques so their kids can CONTINUE to play soccer or the ones who budget in the swimming and golf every year because playing the sports the kids love is more about the love of the sport than getting the kids the hell out the house so mom (who probably watchs soap operas all day) can get herself together before dad gets home.
(Ok, I'll stop..that was rude, wrong, and ridiculous...laugh under your breath so they can't hear you.)
Sarah angel... not every mom in America is a soccer mom. Not every mom in America is scared of the economy. Not every mom is a more realisitic version of what you wish you were....(what IS the opposite of a sub-urban female social lemming?)
And being a "Washington outsider" ain't got ish to do with any of it...
I'm an average American mom, raising my children in a two parent, two income home. We've given our children what we feel is a solid moral base and have educated them on the ins and outs of living as "minorities" (whatever the hell that means anymore huh?) in this country.
You didn't speak to me Sarah... and you know it. In your mind, I'm invisible. I don't exist. I'm only some aberration you see in movies and on television and on the national news every night. I'm the sort of person that should be happy and pleased if someone like you even acknowledged if you came into the room I was in...
Sarah Palin...wannabe washington insider... go home. This has gotten stupid...for real.
you have set women... ALL women... back 50 years...
soccer moms... yeah... right...
shit.
Labels: politics as usual
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2 comments:
Excellent analysis!
peace,
Villager (with a son playing football and baseball and a daughter playing basketball)
thanks...
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