Why were so many Rebublicans cheerleaders in school?

[Jack from Charlotte]

There's Thad Cochran, senator from Ole Miss. And also, from Ole Miss, there's Trent Lott.

Trent's the cool dude on the bottom row, 2nd from the right. "Go Rebels!"




Ronny Rag-gun couldn't cut it as a football player.... he said he was 5th string... so he became a cheerleader at Eureka College in Illinois. Wish I had a picture.

There's Kay Bailey Hutchinson R-Idiotville, who was a cheerleader at U of Texas.... Don't have a cheerleader pic of Kay but here's a good pic anyway....

Texans sure like to dress up in costumes, don't they?
http://wingedmammal.com/action_photos_2003/action_photo...


And then of course, there's AWOL (moron)

[havocmom]

1. Safer on the sidelines yelling "Get 'em! Get 'em" than in the game where

they might actually get tackled?

[Vickers]

3. Holy cow, you nailed that one!

:toast:

Even back in high school/college, they were letting other folks battle for them!

[VOX]

11. havocmom: Hammer, nail-head, wham!

100% correct. Thank you!

:toast:

[mike1963]

2. They get to look up girls' skirts without getting slapped?

:evilgrin:

[sleepystudent]

4. oh please...

There are so many things wrong with this post and the thinking behind it, good Lord.

First off, before you attack Texas for Hutchison, remember your state gave us Jesse Helms for far too long and now gives us Liddy Dole. Those in glass houses...

Also, by attacking them for being cheerleaders, esp. the men, you are basically saying that no "real man" does that or even worse that gay guys do that-which is a meme that I would expect from a right winger, not people who think they are so open-minded. And the whole couldn't cut it as a football player-that sounds like something an abusive father would say to a too-sensitive son who wanted to be an artist or something.

Third, these people have atrocious policies that are doing long term harm to the country and the planet. That seems like more than enough to go after them for, not this.

Finally, a lot of people on any side of the political spectrum have been cheerleaders. Example-Meryl Streep-great actress and totally lib was a cheerleader and homecoming queen.

I never was a cheerleader but I respect them for what they do and don't like this lazy thinking.

[mike1963]

8. Methinks thou are just a bit too "sensitive"....

:eyes:

[sleepystudent]

9. um, no actually...

I just think that it's possible to oppose the people in power and do it intelligently and with a bit of critical thinking. And I'm gay and I get sick of all this bullshit about what "real men" do and don't do and this cheerleader shit perpetuates it.

[Jack from Charlotte]

12. Who said..........."Real men?"...........

Only you.

Is Kay "Big Hair" Hutch a ...."real man?"

[sleepystudent]

14. Fine then...

You are contributing to the stereotype that male cheerleaders just "couldn't cut it on the football team"and then contributing to the idea that female cheerleaders are ditzes who can't think for themselves. Congratulations.

[skygazer]

15. You have a good point

But I think there's something to the original post as well. The activities people choose to participate in often say something about their motivations and personalities. It's easy to see when it's something like pulling the wings off flies but it's more subtle at other times.

Maybe the cheerleading thing means nothing and I don't neccessarily think cheerleading isn't done by "real men" but it is interesting that many of these men who are megalomaniacs and power-mongers were cheerleaders. This doesn't mean that all male cheerleaders will become evil Republican slimeballs but it might mean that those who did end up that way had similar motivations at the time.

Participating in popular group activity without risking their necks sounds like a possibility - there are no doubt others.

[bo44]

5. Chickenhawk practice

[Jack from Charlotte]

13. Bingo!!! They yell for OTHERS to do the dangerous work. (NFM)

[poliguru]

6. It's the women

That's where you find the girls who hang on your arm, smile, and don't question you.

[Spider Jerusalem]

7. Um...

a preference for mindless conformity over individualism, an almost pathologically developed devotion to the idea of "school spirit" that in later life manifests itself in these people's reactionary and xenophobic "patriotism"...

And standing on the sidelines and shouting meaningless nonsense while other people are slugging it out on the gridiron seems to've been excellent practise for the way these people conduct themselves in our current time of military conflict.

[BayouBengal07]

10. Not only that

but they were all cheerleaders for schools I hate (well except Eureka College, never even heard of them).