JEFF GORDON'S VOICE

I HAVE PROOF OF AMERICA'S VALEDICTION TO RIDICULE. IT OCCURRED WHEN I HAD MY EARLY MORNING'S TEDDY ROOSEVELT MOMENT. IT WAS APROPOS ON ST. PATRICK'S DAY WHICH CONJURES UP MEMORIES OF RIDICULE AND DISCRIMINATION AGAINST IRISH IMMIGRANTS YEARS AGO BECAUSE THEY LOOKED, SPOKE AND ACTED DIFFERENT FROM NATIVE CITIZENS. THE IRISH, IN 1863, THEN IN TURN IMPOSED THEIR RIDICULE, DISCRIMINATION AND RACISM ONTO A NEWER, STRANGER IMMIGRANT CLASS, THE FREED BLACK VOLUNTEERS OF THE UNION ARMY DURING THE CIVIL WAR. PICKING ON SOMEONE WHO LOOKS OR SOUNDS DIFFERENT IS OBVIOUSLY AN OLD SYNDROME. BUT THIS MORNING I REALIZED THAT UNWARRANTED TUNNEL VISION IS - THANKFULLY - DEAD. I HEARD JEFF GORDON, A NASCAR LUMINARY, SPEAK. BUT IT WAS NOT WHAT HE SAID, BUT HOW HE SOUNDED, THAT TRIGGERED MY MEMORY OF ANOTHER FAMOUS AMERICAN, TEDDY ROOSEVELT, WHOSE PERSONA AND VOICE WERE ALSO A DISCONNECT. MR. GORDON'S PROFESSIONAL PERSONA OF HORSEPOWER AND DANGER CONTRASTED WITH HIS LIGHT, EFFEMINATE VOCAL TONES, JUST AS THE MANLINESS AND STRENGTH OF MR. ROOSEVELT WAS AT ODDS WITH HIS TIMBRE.

THE IRRESPRESSIBLE URGE IN HUMAN BEINGS TO POSSESS HEROES ENABLES MANKIND TO OVERLOOK AND LOOK PAST A PHYSICAL ANOMALY TO THE HERO BEYOND. RIDICULE CANNOT EXIST IF INDIVIDUALS ARE JUDGED ON INTRINSIC QUALITIES SUCH AS CHARACTER OR PERFORMANCE, NOT SUPERFICIAL ATTRIBUTES OF FACE, FORM OR VOICE. REV UP! RACE ON JEFF, WE ONLY HEAR THE ROAR OF YOUR ENGINES.