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Originally published in
the Grand Rapids Business Journal, November 1, 2004.
Back in 1970, my parents bought me an electric
football game. For those of you too young to remember toys
that were made of metal, an electric football game was a thin
piece of sheet metal on four legs that was setup as a football
field. You'd put little clay football players on the field,
flip a switch, the metal would vibrate, and the players would
move around the field (supposedly in some sort of organized
way, but generally they'd scatter willy-nilly). It was the
most wonderful thing ever, and I still have it today -- set
up in my office.
My game version is for the National Football League circa
1970, and a helmet for each team is printed on the sides. When
I got the game, I studied each helmet and decided that I liked
the San Francisco 49ers the best. I don't know why. I was living
in South Carolina and by geography and in the school yard,
I was told that the Atlanta Falcons were my team. Showing early
contrarian tendencies, I refused to like the Falcons because
I was told to like the Falcons.
So let me give you a few scores: 17-10, 14-3, 30-28. In 1970,
1971, and 1972, those were the scores of the games in which
the Dallas Cowboys beat my 49ers to eliminate them from the
playoffs. Go ahead and check scores on the Internet. I didn't
have to; I know them by heart -- they were seared there. I
was absolutely crushed each time. Tears. Anger. Disappointment.
Disillusionment.
Well here it is 30 plus years later, and cowboys from Texas
are again kickin' my ass. George W. Bush has been re-elected,
and I feel very much the same. No tears this time, but a more
creative selection of expletives.
Right. Full disclosure time. I went to great lengths throughout
this election season to avoid declaring my support for a particular
candidate or party. I did this for three reasons:
* One, an editorial cartoonist isn't supposed to tell you
*what* to think; an editorial cartoonist is supposed to *get*
you to think.
* Two, I honestly carry a flag for no one. I split my ticket
on Tuesday as I always have. What the Dems and GOP stand for
evolves over time, so I've never declared an allegiance. (Public
perception changes, too. It's interesting to note that in the
1930s Franklin Roosevelt, the first modern Democrat president,
was generally considered among the social elite to be a complete
idiot, which is how the social elite of today seem to see our
Republican president. I'm afraid I'll never be in the social
elite because I like to keep my "complete idiot" options
open.)
* Three, telling you that you are stupid for not thinking
exactly like me --isn't that what talk radio is for? (By the
way, Sean Hannity is a complete idiot.)
But for president -- as a white, middle-class, married, father,
heterosexual, Christian, small business owner -- I was clearly
for... Kerry. (Well, clear until somebody stole my friggin'
yard sign.) I'll admit that it started with an "anybody
but Bush" feeling, but it quickly evolved into a positive
support for Kerry. And here is where you would typically expect
a list of reasons to champion said position. And as a Kerry
man, God knows I love endlessly detailed lists of excruciatingly
boring policy points, but, again, this isn't the place for
it.
So as I reflect back on how hard it was to get beaten by those
dang Cowboys, I realize that as big as it seemed at the time,
I somehow managed to go on with my life.... Then in 1982, my
49ers beat the Cowboys in the NFC finals and went on to win
their first of five Super Bowls! WooHoo! Life goes on.
And if all this isn't helping you Lions fans, all I can say
is, hey, the Red Sox won it all this year, didn't they?
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