To celebrate this famouse (sorry, famous) holiday coming out of their favorite communist nation, the Globe does their best to give us a nice warm feeling about "rats"... at least certain ones, anyway.
Rats get a bad rap in Western culture. The less-than-adorable rodents are often referenced in disparaging ways: "I smell a rat"; "Why that dirty rat." . . . But in China, being a Rat is no disgrace. In fact, according to Chinese astrology, the Rat is a respected, courageous, and enterprising individual... The Year of the Rat officially began on Feb. 7, so we think it's high time to embrace the Rats among us. Those born in Rat years are charming, clever, hard-working, intelligent, practical, and social.
And then they go on to list some American "rats" (and a few foreign ones) that fit the wonderfulness of rathood. I have to say, though, that the Globe's list does, indeed, make me think of rats right away. Though I must confess, I can't get that "bad" Western cultural definition out of my unenlightened skull.
And the Globe's "rats" award Goes to... the envelope, please...
- Al Gore
- Jimmy Carter
- Sean Penn
- Marlon Brando
- Sidney Poitier
See what I mean about that "rat" business? In the lowly Western cultural tradition that the Globe is so disdainful of, "rat" really fits these contestants.
But, notice that the Globe couldn't find a single conservative to put on their list to celebrate in the tradition of good Chinese ratitude? What are we conservatives... chopped liver? Or, maybe just lowly field mice, not cool enough to be rats?
On the other hand... Sean Penn? OK, if I were a truly conservative American "rat" I might not want to be on a list that Sean Penn is on. It might be a dubious distinction, indeed. I might rather consider Penn more of a rat-fink, but... well, you know.
Anyway, what famous right leaning Americans could the Globe have placed on their list? Just to name three: Charlton Heston (b 1924), George H. W. Bush (b 1924) and John McCain (b 1936) were all born in past years of the rat. Should the Globe have tried even just a little, they could easily have found some folks on the right that qualify and I'm sure there are many others -- it only took me a few minutes to find these.
So, isn't it just a bit suspicious that the Globe couldn't find any American "rats" from the right side of the spectrum? Of course it isn't the end of the world, this little "rat" tale. But it does just go to show that the MSM is biased to the left, even in these small, silly, rodent-like ways.
Happy "year of the rat," anyway. And let me just say that, if the Boston Globe seems to want to celebrate Gore, Carter. Brando and Penn as fine examples of the American "rat," let me suggest that we stalwart conservatives consider ourselves to be D-Con!
h/t Joel North
