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julietsierra -> RE: A Southern Tradition! (7/27/2008 9:26:24 AM)
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Oh my gosh! So much angst over a man who chose a sport, excelled in that sport and died while in the performance of that sport?
C'mon!
Yes he did well with his life. Yes he had a son who loved him enough to "go into the family business." Yes, he earned a name for himself.
I'd be willing to bet though that his son loved him no more or less than someone else's son who followed dear old dad into the plumbing business or anyone else whose business marquee says Such and such and son. So... to me, no special accolades were deserving there.
And I'd be willing to bet that there are more high school drop outs in the world who have made a name for themselves - perhaps not nationally, but most assuredly, they are well respected within their respective local communities. And since I am rather unimpressed with the importance of national recognition - except perhaps in terms of those who contribute to the betterment of society in general - that highlight of him as someone worth some overabundance of praise isn't warranted either.
And yes yes, he did well for himself. However, I'm much more impressed by men like my uncle - nameless as far as the world is concerned, but possessed less than a high school education, worked on the line at general motors and eventually bought a farm because he had two daughters and believed that "every little girl should have a pony." When he died, he was well known in his community. On top of the GM job, and in keeping with the "every little girl deserves a pony" idea of his, he'd become the best pony cart maker in his county. When he died, they transported his body to the cemetary in one of his pony carts, with his favorite ponies, Molly and Dolly pulling the cart. On the way home from the cemetary, his daughter, her daughter and that daughter's daughter, along with the rest of the grandchildren rode the cart back. With less than a high school education, he'd created a legacy in his family that lives on today, and I don't see y'all proclaiming him some sort of minor god on a pedestal. He was a simple man with a simple dream that he was able to fulfill. I don't see him as anything less than Dale Earnheardt. And in fact, I tend to see him as more - cause he did all he did without corporate sponsorship and without television cameras, and without a fan base beyond those who knew the kind of man he was.
Look. Dale Earnheardt drove a car. He took what he did best and made a name for himself. That's cool. But it certainly isn't worth doing the whole angst and anger thing.
And by the way, I lived in the south (ok, southwest - it was Texas, but still NASCAR country) for 16 years and was never tarred and feathered, ostracized from my community or treated with anything less than respect for not being a NASCAR fan. When the guys watched NASCAR that I was friends with and invited me over, I went - not for NASCAR, but for the opportunity to socialize with friends. When they teased me over NOT being a NASCAR fan, I laughed right long with them and along with their wives (who were also not NASCAR fans) shook our heads over the games of the boys as we brought them their drinks and kept the chip bowls filled.
Honestly, Dale Earnheardt was a guy. He drove cars. Those cars went in circles. He earned a lot of money for driving in circles. He died while driving in circles. Now what? And So what?
Please tell me what has improved in this life for him having lived his life (beyond of course, the quality of the tracks in which other men and women can make a living driving in circles.) Since I don't follow NASCAR, I can't claim to know much about what Dale Earnheardt did with his money beyond live in big houses and establish big trust funds for his children.
Please... tell me how he's improved this world? Please give me a reason to give him the accolades you think he's deserving of.
Oh... and I'd like to point out that just because my Aunt has practically a SHRINE to Elvis Presley in her house doesn't mean I'm a bad person if I prefer some other recording artist. I think that's the same issue at work here.
holly, you might want to get a bit tougher skin here - unless of course, you're one of his children in the first place...cause that's the only thing I can see that warrants the ignore button just because someone doesn't think as you do.
juliet
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