February 14, 2008

I'm just saying . . .
Massive Majority, just how much more can we take?
By James Cook, Times Editor

Now I know that Americans as a whole are becoming more and more obese, in fact I am one of the many. And of course, we need to try to take care of this epidemic. I mean we all need to try and get healthy.
Of course, we, the pleasantly plump, the fun-loving large friends, the “big” guys, have been told forever that we do not meet the example that represents America. I must admit, we usually do not take pride in being large, but we learn to deal with it and handle the remarks and jokes that come our way. We deal with it silently, because lets face it, we are too busy trying to figure out what’s for lunch. In fact I’m looking at the local restaurant menus now.
But there are times when we the Massive Majority must take a stand. Especially if people are trying to pass laws to stop us from eating.
That is exactly what is happening in Mississippi. Three lawmakers have proposed a law that would give restaurant owners, particularly those with buffets, the right to refuse to serve overweight people. Can you believe this?
We help to keep buffets going? We help the farmers, the food industry, the business owners, and delivery drivers – in fact we are keeping the economy going.
I don’t know about you, but I had to put my sausage and biscuit down when I heard this on the news a few mornings ago. I was becoming even more incensed as I ate the second one and was eyeing my hash brown. Since when can a government decide who eats and who does not? What is the criteria for who gets served and who does not?
The other thing is can you believe the South, where southern cooking is like an art form, is leading the assault on the obese? Where would we be without, southern fried chicken, gravy and biscuits and sweet tea? Healthier maybe, but our taste buds would hate us.
I understand what these lawmakers are trying to do. They are trying to bring the obese epidemic to the forefront and get people to try to take care of themselves. Complications from obesity takes its toll on insurance premiums, medical costs, time lost at work and lost wages. Heart disease, stroke, diabetes and other problems arise due to our overabundance. Thank the Lord we have so much, but we need to be mindful to take care of ourselves. I like many need to try better.
Admittedly, we do need to take better care of ourselves. If we wish to stay around longer and see our kids grow up. WE know this. But in the big picture, we outnumber the skinny, jogging, size two women, and 30 inch waist men. Instead of trying to pass laws to discriminate or ostracize us, how about getting the cost of low calorie, good for you foods to come down. I mean, it’s cheaper to eat hot dogs, chips, candy and burgers, than chicken, turkey, carrots and healthy snacks. Excuse me as I unwrap my Little Debbie snack cake to help sooth the chocolate beast within.
I’ll try to do better, but passing laws to stop us from eating is wrong. And remember, keep us from our food too long and we can not be held responsible for our actions.
I want to congratulate the PCHS Cheerleaders on their at-large bid to the state competition. And wish the senior Lady Pirates Good Luck.

View from the Mountain...
Lil' Abner is the greatest of all timel
By David G. Griffin, Times Reporter

Even though its origin occurred ten years before I was born, the comic strip Li’l Abner became my childhood reason for reading the daily newspaper. My grandparents (Pop and Mommie Katie) subscribed to the Courier Journal. I could not wait for the comics to arrive to see what the fictional clan of hillbillies from Dogpatch was up to that day. Before I could read, Pop placed me on his lap and read the daily saga to me until I could read the strip on my own.
Al Capp created Li’l Abner, which has been universally heralded as the greatest comic strip of all time. At its peak, the strip was read by 70 million Americans. Li’l Abner Yokum was a dumb, strong, and good-natured hillbilly who lived with his parents, Patsy (Mammy) and Lucifer (Pappy) Yokum. Mammy dominated her family with determination and a knock-out punch. Pappy was just the opposite. He was an illiterate and hopeless parasite.
Li’l Abner himself spent countless years evading the marital wishes of Daisy Mae Scragg. She eventually succeeded in pressuring Abner to marry her, and the event was of such popularity that it made the cover of Life magazine on March 31, 1952.
Author John Steinbeck called Capp “the best writer in the world.” One reason for his tremendous success was the variety of “unforgettable characters” that showed up in the comic strip. It would be impossible to discuss all of them; however, I will attempt to bring back a few to your memory.
My favorite character of the Dogpatch world was the Shmoo, which first appeared on August 31, 1948. The bowling-pin-shaped personality with legs and no arms reproduced asexually, and they were terrifically prolific. Shmoos were also delicious to eat. If fried, they tasted like chicken. When roasted, they tasted like beef. Raw, they tasted like oysters. In addition, they produced eggs, milk, and butter. The pelt was used for shoe leather, and their whiskers made perfect toothpicks.
The lovable and selfless characters ultimately brought misery to humankind because people with a limitless supply of the animals stopped working and society eventually broke down. Capp invented the Shmoo to satirize the rise of the welfare state.
Pop was very savvy about politics and understood what Capp was trying to convey to the American public. Pop considered Capp to be brilliant. I and other children who were fond of the comic strip did not “get” the social satire; we just thought it was as funny as could be.
Pop’s favorite character from Li’l Abner was Fearless Fosdick. He was the long-running parody of Chester Gould’s “Dick Tracy.” This strip-within-a-strip became a regular feature of Li’l Abner. Everywhere Fearless went, bullets were flying all around him. His trademark look was the Swiss cheese bullet holes through his body. He was very loyal to his department, even though he was only paid $22.50 per week. His fiancée was Prudence Pimpleton, but they never married.
Fearless Fosdick actually became the spokesman for the popular men’s hair product, Wildroot Cream Oil. By 1952 the bumbling detective had become so popular that he became the star of his own TV show.
Another of my favorite characters was Joe Btfsplk, the world’s biggest jinx. He walked around with a dark, rain cloud hanging over his head. Terrible luck was sure to come upon anyone in his vicinity. Even though he actually had a well-meaning and gentle personality, his reputation preceded him. Joe was a “lonely and feared man.” He was a character with an unpronounceable name. Capp pronounced Btfsplk with a “raspberry sound.”
Other characters that made up the daily strip included: Senator Jack S. Phogbound (Capp’s parody of the Southern Democrats who opposed the New Deal), Marryin’ Sam (a local preacher), Native American Lonesome Polecat, and the statuesque beauty Moonbeam McSwine.
Occasionally, the clan would venture to a far-away frozen land called “Lower Slobbovia” (conceptually based on Siberia). The strip became a forum for Capp’s conservative political and cultural views. For example, he depicted college students carrying signs with the acronym “S.W.I.N.E”, which stood for Students Wild and Indignant about Nearly Everything.
In its heyday, the widely well-liked comic strip was the topic of discussion for nearly every American citizen – old and young. Teenagers even copied the Sadie Hawkins Day event and made it their own – an effect that survives in many schools to this day. Many still have that one dance each year where the ladies get to choose their dates.
I am glad that I lived during the time that Al Capp gave birth to his popular strip. Most everyone from that era remembers it because of the language, characters, and situations that Capp created. In many ways, it has become a permanent part of American history – at least as long as we boomers survive.
(You can reach me at mtnman@mis.net Thanks for your support and suggestions.)