Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Peopleofwalmart.com will make hypocrites of us all.





I am a hypocrite. In many ways, this is fact. I am not going to bore you with all of the ways...but I will tell you why this is relevant in my life today. I have 4 kids. The oldest is 7. Any person who has endured at least seven years of child rearing already knows the ill behaviors that are natural to children. As a mother, I do my best to curb the farting and poop jokes. I catch newly learned phrases and words that are inappropriate and
explain why they are not used in our home. It is my job to teach them these
things.


Most of the time, my family and friends get a healthy belly laugh when I recount the absurdities that my children make me endure. My hubby and I write down these things. Someday, when I am no longer accountable for their behavior, I am going to show my kids all the crazy stuff they said and did. I imagine we will laugh a lot. I know we will laugh a lot. I know
this because my kids are like me. The stuff they say-that I tell them not to-is the stuff I say in my head. It's like they are reading my mind. And the poop jokes are hilarious.

Over the years, I have become a master at masking my amusement. It makes me wonder what things my parents found entertaining as I grew. During my junior high school years, I was sent away from the dinner table every night for my behavior. This is no exaggeration....ask my mom. My mom, whom I never heard curse, purposely, until I was 27 years old. Is it possible that she had been cursing in her head, instead of out loud, the prior 26 years, in order to prevent my use of such profanity? If so, I am just like her.

I recall catching my father smirk or even laugh out loud (LOL) at some
thing I KNOW I should not have said or done. And, I am sure, my kids catch me doing the same. So, I am obviously a hypocrite.

The suddenly popular website peopleofwalmart.com, is the ultimate test of how well we can mask our hypocrisy. It is humanly impossible not to get sucked in by pictures of scuba divers, muscle men in Speedos,
and old
ladies with pink hair walking around with a grocery cart. Honestly, who hasn't gone to Walmart looking terrible? It's not like you're going to the Blue Bar at the Algonquin Hotel in Manhattan. It would be a bold lie to deny my multiple ventures to Walmart, sans bra, in white stretchy pants. I don't understand why Internet surfers are so shocked by the appearance of (us)Walmart patrons. People spotlighted on the website even pose for the pictures because they are aware of how ridiculous they look.

Just cuz he looks cute at the grocery store, doesn't mean I do!


There are pictures that just make me sad.
I doubt a balding woman or an extremely heavy man, wearing ill fit clothes, wants a cell phone snap shot of her/him placed on the Internet. They aren't playing dress up and they probably didn't give consent for someone hiding beh
ind the bread isle, to take a picture of them from behind. Such behavior is not like farting at the dinner table. It's not really funny, or nice. Farting at the dinner table is funny. It is rude, but still funny.

I can't expect my kids not to giggle at the Square dancing Walmart couple. I wouldn't blame them for staring. I can imagine my Camille wanting to know how old she must be to get one of those square dancing dresses. And, deep inside I w
ould be wondering the same thing....."How old do I have to be before I can get one of those dresses?"

I am hopeful that I never hear my kids poke at someone less fortunate than they are, or even someone who is more fortunate than they are. Should I ever catch them, I REALLY hope I am not thinking the same thing. After all; I am a hypocrite.

Now, that's funny!


2 comments:

  1. interesting post and very thought provoking. I love the picks of your kids and I have to say that your post brought back many fond memories of you. I recall that you were the first comp I felt I could be myself around, thank you.

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