Eva, my little Cherokee Grandmother use to say, "Anything you can't laugh at, you can't take serious. Especially yourself and religion." I think she might have added politics if she had thought about it more, or if it had impacted her life more.
Humor and having a good time about serious subjects IS a "Minneapolis Issue". We need a heck of a lot more, rather than less of it. Treating politicians, and political decisions as something you can't laugh at makes them believe they are not often ridiculous. (And we all know how ridiculous that idea is) One of the best thing about my new councilperson, Dean Zimmerman, is that though he may take some issues serious, (Some of which I strongly disagree with), he never seems to take "HIMSELF" serious. So I have fun and enjoy the man without having to agree with every opinion he has. You can do that with "seriously" funny people. They tend to not be hypocrites. Also since they do not take themselves too serious, you can disagree and fight about something, and still work together and support each other just as strongly on others. Martin Sabo and David Durenberger are two other politicians I can think of who also shared this human quality. Has anyone else noticed that it is easier to talk with Martin Sabo than it is with some low level politicians? Kind of makes me proud I vote for him. I can take Martin serious. You can trust a man or woman who can laugh at themselves. I don't trust those politicians who are on pedestals so high they can't be laughed at. Makes me think they are lawyers or something like that. Which brings up another subject. Why do bad lawyers insist on being taken serious. The few really good ones I have known were funny and amazingly human. Maybe it is fear of mediocrity. You know when I was a kid I had a wolfhound-feist cross bred dog that could literally kill another dog with one snap and shake of the head. That dog was the most pleasant animal you ever saw, little kids could safely swing on his ears. But have you ever been around one those little yippee dogs who has to snap and act mean all the time? Sort of reminds me good politicians and lawyers, and the other kind too. You know the yippers! We in Minneapolis have a whole lot of serious subjects to talk about and address. I hope we keep laughing about them, so that they can be taken serious. Once the humor stops we know someone has an interest in something that is probably not in the "interest" of Minneapolis. Don't a lot of us wish the City Council, and past Mayors, had laughed about the lawyers who worked out the deals with City Center, Target, and some other real "seriously good deals". You know it would be kind of funny, if it wasn't so sad. Jim Graham, Ventura Village _______________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A Civil City Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
