My Mom’s Kind of Republican
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Have you seen the award winning movie “The Blind Side”….? A feel good feel the heart for glad and sad kind of story? Bullock won her Academy Award for Best Actress portraying the strong willed, real life southern woman Leigh Anne Tuohy, a Memphis socialite; part lioness, part ramrod, full on nurturer. The Tuohy family represent southern Republicans as open minded__ if mind made up, open hearted without exceptions__ to what ‘others’ might judge or think and willing__that’s the quality each of the Tuohy’s demonstrate an abundance of… especially the eldest son, Michael Oher. And they are fun~! While the story of their journey together fast becomes contemporary American myth and legend, the exposition of it creates an opportunity for liberals, progressives, conservatives all to acknowledge their common ground. And to also shine the deserved Light on to a genuinely Christian-conservative ethic demonstrated. A walk your talk kind of family guided down the road of life by a woman of substance; love, kindness, commitment and intelligence.
In the words of Leigh Anne:
“The most impactful message that people could take from the movie is that society had deemed Michael worthless. There were very few people who cared where Michael Oher was any minute of the day. He is now a contributing member of the society. He is intelligent. He made the dean’s list in college. If it can happen to Michael Oher, it could happen to anyone.
We need to figure out what we can do. Our system is flawed when it comes to kids. And I just really hope people will walk out of this movie better than they walked in. Do something little. But whatever it is, do it well.”
We need to figure out what we can do. Our system is flawed when it comes to kids. And I just really hope people will walk out of this movie better than they walked in. Do something little. But whatever it is, do it well.”
These are good people.
And there are loads of good people who are conservative Republicans … especially in the south!
While the message of the day is “arise anew”, perhaps we can take it to this threshold and remember that not all liberal progressives are nice, intelligent folks and not all conservatives are racist, hating folks, either. Where better to learn it than at Friday Night Lights….?
Arise, anew.
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I’m a kind of Sandra Bullock fan.
A Polish friend of mine now says she feels kind of English.
Some new Lithuanian neighbours say they ‘kind of like it over here’
This world is getting increasingly baffling to me. Kind of…
Great post Gwen. The problem is that for every one of the “good people who are conservative Republicans … especially in the south” there are a hundred who would pass him by, cuss him because of his race, and call the police if he looked at them wrong. There are thousands of kids like Michael Oher who will end up on drugs and die young or in prison and most of these good southern conservative Republicans could care less. I am glad for Michael, glad for Sandra Bullock, and thankful to the the family. And when I look young men in the face every day in their jail cells I will keep hoping that someone, somewhere will give them a break before it is too late.
Just think…If people were not stuck on religion and looking for blessings in return for unselfish love, how many more Michaels there would be…
You know… I left out the most important part of the thought:
unconditionally.
You know?
Yes! Bee, you have it just right.
Similar stories are everywhere…New England is full of ’em.
Its my purpose to bring the conversation to that little something whenever we can. Whatever we can… like Ron Jon opening and holding the door for the elderly lady and smiling kindly at her or Mad Mike pulling over and picking up the injured animal and doing everything he can to help it or whatever you might do to make a positive difference in the world. With a good heart… and I was particularly happy to note that this good thought, this good ideal filled my head brilliantly after the story of a dixie Republican… it feels good to remember that good people aren’t just like me…
they are so very different in style or dimension …
yet the same humanity holds on to us and brings us together.
Because you know, the last six months or so, and then the end of HCR with the haters and racists on the steps of the House… it was appalling to me.
🙂
Our system is flawed when it comes to kids.
And there are loads of good people who are conservative Republicans … especially in the south!
I walked out of that movie feeling the same way about how we pigeon-hole children far too quickly. Before I was transferred to the third-shift I was doing some minor volunteer work mentoring a kid at school close to the hospital. Nice fourth-grade kid but it was easy to tell he did not expect much of himself. Because of various rules concerning behavior on my part I could not dig very deep into his personal life although I got the impression his home life and surroundings were tough.
The advantage the Tuohy family had was that they removed Michael from a corrosive environment allowed him to excel. As much as the system fails children all too often it simply can’t provide that kind of an environment to all kids in its charge.
This is where more people like the Tuohy’s could and do come in handy. Although it has been my experience that such families all too often will spend big bucks on fertility treatments but will not consider adoption and talk trash about allowing gay couples who could provide a home for children desperate for at least a small piece of what Michael received.
I’m sorry, but it still bothers me that Sandra Bullock now has something (i.e., an Oscar) that Greta Garbo, Montgomery Clift, Deborah Kerr, Alfred Hitchcock, Richard Burton, Peter O’Toole, and Orson Welles never had. In fact, filks, I can’t even get my arms around it.
I respect all of the actors/actresses you mention Will, but that was another generation. And, yes it was mine, but this is this generation with another right around the corner. I think Sandra Bullock is the equivalent, in her own right, of Deborah Kerr. Now as to Peter O’Toole I don’t think I have seen the male equivalent yet….
There is “Mississippi Burning” south, and then there is “Steel Magnolias” south. There is “Song of the South” south, then there is “Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe” south. Just for an example 🙂
I have to say… I find that most of my world operates within some politic…an integrity, and so my politics are there out in front most of the time. Society is so polarized that it does come up… but it doesn’t rule everything.
This movie, I’ve noticed even chat along the lines of political distinctions.
But most valued is the human story that binds us all. Right? Its a fine movie… I just got the opportunity to see it today on demand…. I missed it in the theaters. It is good ole dixie southern … I’ve known and worked with many… grew up around many. Republicans… my editor in NC was my best friend for a thousand years and you don’t get more Republican that Jesse Helms to dinner … and she did. She was open minded, open hearted, biological in tandem with biblical science minded lady who attended the school of hard knocks and brought herself up by her bootstraps… I miss her dearly. Miss her conservative take on it all. And she always wanted my liberal take on it… miss that, and Leigh Anne reminds me of her. So, I’m just as misty as spirit brother.
Gee…
well,
a happy holiday everyone.
got all misty.Dang it don’t take much these days.
I saw it Gwen, very uplifting, any film that shows people behaving like human beings gets 5 stars in my book.
Very nice post Gwen. We can never forget that there is more that unites than divides.
I loved that movie Gwen. Of course I have long loved the beautiful and talented Sandra Bullock. I did not see the movie as being any kind of political statement however, just a heartwarming tale of Michael Oher and the circumstances that led to the life he has today. I also love Friday Night Lights, but again, no political statement that I can see. Just the struggles of good people living in rural Texas and dealing with day to day life revolving around high school football. Good post…I enjoyed it.