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Sunday, September 29, 2013

Howdy Folks, I'm Big Tex...Mex.

There are many very important things you should know about me, and this is one of them. I LOVE the State Fair of Texas. There are a metric shit-ton of things I hate about Texas, but they are outweighed by three things I am not sure I could live without that can only be found right here in the Lone Star State. 1) Most of my friends and family, 2) Proper tex-mex food, and 3) THE STATE FAIR OF TEXAS. Yes, I am aware that other states have fairs, and they are probably perfectly...nice. But they can never top the State Fair of Texas, no matter what the travel websites say.

*I googled "what is the largest state fair in the united states" just to get some facts and figures to back up my claims of the Texas State Fair's superiority, but I came up with nothing. This doesn't mean anything.

So, you can imagine my heartbreak last year when the Big Tex, the State Fair's official mascot, landmark for lost children, and welcoming creepy old cowboy, perished in a fire.


I was heartbroken, y'all. I legitimately cried...for kind of an embarrassingly long time. I watched the footage on TV like some major world event. In the days and weeks following, I paid attention to the details of how they were planning on rebuilding the big guy. I even donated to the fundraiser they held for his resurrection (or at least, I really, really meant to). I spent the early part of this past week trying to figure out how I could sneakily watch the live feed of the unveiling at work. My scheming was short lived, since the wind blew the curtain away from Big Tex a day early. Here he is! My new Prince Charming!


Now, I know you can't please everyone, and I knew that there would certainly be naysayers, but I did NOT expect the vitriol that emerged after Big Tex's unveiling. Is he a bit malproportioned? Of course. He wouldn't be Big Tex otherwise. Are his boots a bit misshapen? Yes, and I can't blame anyone for being a little annoyed about that. Boots make the cowboy, after all, and as someone who really, really meant to donate to that fund, I think the money could have been spent on better looking boots. These were normal complaints. This, I expected. I did not expect this, though I probably should have.











These aren't even all of them. They're just all I could stomach long enough to take screen shots.

I strongly doubt that anyone intended to make Big Tex look Hispanic. This state is simply not that progressive. Nope, I am sure that his slightly darker coloring was a mishap of paint color that turned out darker than the swatch, or an attempt at the kind of tan a cowboy like Big Tex would have if he's working outdoors all day, every day. Regardless of the intention, if he is in fact darker skinned: GOOD. Texas is increasingly darker skinned, so he is a reflection of our changing demographic. It is a sad indication of the atmosphere of our state that so many people seemed to want Big Tex to stay white. I wonder how many other things in Texas these people would like to "paint lighter."

And furthermore, if Big Tex is the kind of cowboy that would rather go dancing at the Round-Up Saloon than Billy Bob's, that's OK, too. Diversity, people! It's beautiful, it's nothing to be ashamed of, and it's a huge part of what makes this a great state. The future is now, and it looks a lot like Big Tex Mex. I dig it.

I can't wait to take my daughter to the fair, get a corn dog, and wait for Big Tex's semi-hourly address. Maybe it will be bi-lingual? Nah. That's hoping too much.

1 comments:

Anonymous said...

Thank you, Kuh, once again for an amazing post! I had no idea so much people were spreading filth online like this. I often see stuff like this and ask myself if I am living in the twilight zone. I saw Big Tex, and went "Oh Good, Big Tex is back - " noted the change in costume color, and went on about my business. I do not know why people are so racist. I wouldn't want to ever ever hear the filth that these poor lost souls had been exposed to in youth...to shape such commentary. Saying someone looks Mexican, Black, White - whatever...it is not grounds for comedy. This reminds me of the people who seemed to not realize that, Yes, Indian people are also American...and yes, one is now Miss America. The comment about her looking like a "7-11 employee" broke my heart. I have not seen such a beautiful woman in such a long time...and yet people someone are upset that she is Indian. There cannot be this many stupid people in the world. People seem hot wired to attack, and pick things apart. A celebrity awards show cannot go on without people bashing what people wore...the first thing people say online when photos are posted: "I hate her shoes...she looks fat in that dress...whats wrong with her hair." A damned diamond could be sitting in front of someone, and all we seem to be able to say is "This diamond looks awful today. Gosh...who cut this diamond?" LOl its very sad but also laughable. America has ALWAYS been diverse...Black people were living here before the time of Slavery. Hispanic/Mexican people have been here longer than the Spanish. I could go on and on. Ask some people on Facebook, and you'd think they believe America looks like an episode of Perry Mason or something. Its just ridiculous. I celebrate the new Big Tex. Im just glad they didn't make him black...why? Because if this much backlash comes from something that APPEARS to be Mexican...I'd hate to see what would be written if they made him Black. And the fact that I know indeed the resulting uproar over such a thing if it were to happen...also speaks volumes about the elementary, and warped mindset that many Americans have. Applause to you, Ma'am! <3
-MP

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