fallen idol

It's always disappointing when you meet someone you admired and they turn out to be a total asshole. I was slightly bummed when I finally got to meet my baseball crush, Danny Graves at RedsFest 2001. Granted, it's not the most fun a professional baseball player can have (I don't think I want to know the details of the most fun a professional baseball player can have). And I'm fairly certain that since he was married, he was not going to fall in love with me at first sight. But the fact that I had to beg him to sign an autograph for an elderly woman in a wheelchair, it took a little luster off him.

One of my favorite comics is the comic at nataliedee.com. Natalie and her husband Drew each create a comic each day, as well as one they collaborate on. I've been a fan since Sara introduced them to me when I was working at C+RA. Her blog was funny, and her advice, while a little harsh, was usually spot on. However, I was slightly bothered by the tagline on the internet header- Natalie Dee: "America's Favorite Cracker." For those folk who do not know the origin of the slur cracker (and I didn't until not too long ago), it has nothing to do with the fact that snack crackers are white and flaky. It actually refers to cracking the whip- on slaves. So it's really just as derogatory to blacks as it is to whites. It had bothered me for some time, and this morning, I finally decided to email Natalie and make sure she was aware of the slur's origin. I prefaced by saying what a big fan I was.

Her response made my disappointment with Danny appear like a dream come true. She began with a lecture as to the literary device of using tongue-in-cheek language, and even included a link to the Wikipedia site on tongue-in-cheek (because Wikipedia is the ultimate authority). Then she "thanked" me because the internet might have thought she was a slavemaster herself. I would have liked to include a verbatim reproduction of the exchange, but I couldn't get express written consent as advised in her e-mail disclaimer. I know what you're thinking- the enforcement of binding email disclaimers is basically nonexistent. In trying to be a decent person, I asked for her permission to reproduce it anyway. She replied no, and insinuated that the entire intention of my email was to reproduce some criticism on my blog (with my millions of readers, I know). I didn't really consider it until I got the most pretentious response to a letter that was nothing but respectful and appreciative. But, since I'm not a complete asshole (although I am an asshole), I will respect her wishes, despite her lack of respect for me. However, I will include the original email I sent to her and you can determine for yourself whether her tutorial on literary devices (if you can call the definition of tongue-in-cheek a literary device) and her admonishment regarding my reproduction was warranted. Enjoy:

Dear Natalie,

I would like to start off by saying I am a huge fan. My friend introduced me to your comics (as well as Drew's) over a year ago, and the first day I read every single one that had been posted, and have visited the site every day since. I am looking forward to the store re-opening now that I have a little disposable income to spend on it.

I had noticed that the new tagline on your site title is "America's Favorite Cracker." I am not sure the significance behind that choice- I'd be happy to be enlightened. However, I had learned a few months ago the origin of the slang term cracker for white people. I had always thought it was because crackers (especially saltines) were white and flaky. Unfortunately, I was wrong. It actually refers to slave masters (cracking a whip). So it's not really a nice thing for white people or black people. Since I (and most people I know) did not know the negative connotations that were involved in the term, I thought maybe you were not aware either.

I apologize if I'm overstepping my bounds as a fan- I just want to make sure that as many people can enjoy Natalie Dee like I do.

Thanks for your humor and making me feel like there is someone with the same crazy sense of humor as I have.

Have a great day,

Dale

There you have it, kids... perhaps I am being overly sensitive. But maybe that sensitivity allows me to acknowledge that being a total asshole is not always necessary.