McSameOld-Failin = GI Joe-Barbie Ticket

[mhatrw]

http://in.rediff.com/news/2008/sep/04guest.htm

The GI Joe-Barbie ticket
Matthew Schneeberger

Few characters are as deeply ingrained into the cultural fabric of the United States as GI Joe and Barbie, those standard bearers of 1950's Americana. GI Joe -- the rugged army grunt who shoots down enemy combatants in the blink of an eye and isn't afraid to brag about it later -- is the archetypal American man. And Barbie -- impossibly busty, blonde-haired and long-legged -- is the ideal representation of femininity.

They both represent a certain two-dimensional picture of American life, or life as it should be, where all the women are drop-dead gorgeous and all the men happily rush off to war, to fight against unnamed and ever-shifting 'baddies'.

It's not uncommon that a young boy's first shaky steps are accompanied by a GI Joe figurine, teaching Junior the ins and outs of war. And for young girls, who better to serve as role model than scantily-clad Barbie? To be sure, little Sally absolutely MUST learn how to walk in six inch heels.

Thing is, toddlers don't vote. And we all put away those toys by the time we reach middle school because GI Joe and Barbie aren't real. Women don't all look like Barbie and not all men are suited for endless, mindless combat. But, evidently, the Republican Party missed the memo. How else can you explain them trotting out a ticket comprised of a real life GI Joe and Barbie and expecting Americans to take the bait? ...