The commentariat weighs in

Somebody was nice enough to submit a comment on the previous post.  Since nobody really writes to the Colonel (me) that much, I usually print them in a separate post.  Because initiative should be rewarded.

The comment read:  Ferrari.  Formula One.  Blah...blah...blah.  Elitist bull crap

Whoa, Nelly!  Hold on, I'm going downstairs to get more coffee ...

[three minutes]

First of all, there are no negative points awarded for signing "anonymous."  This appears to be the default setting for my comments section, and people tell me the process is cumbersome at best.  So that's okay.

On a more substantive level, I wonder this:  Does calling Formula 1 "elitist bull crap" mean we should be watching NASCAR instead?   Which, the record clearly shows, I do.  And do you know those headlights are just decals?  Talk about elitist crap.  And Jeff Gordon, who probably isn't even the top money winner anymore -- I should be googling Jimmy Johnson -- earns about 25 million a year and is said to be worth 150 Large.  So that's pretty elitist.  And he rarely has to turn right!

Update:  Dale Earnhardt, Jr., who would need an act of Congress to win a race makes 29 million a year -- just about what Fernando Alonso makes.

It's all entertainment, baby.  What about all the money they pay Derek Jeter (picking the least controversial high-end ball player I know)?  Aaron Rogers?  Tiger fucking Woods.  Shouldn't they just be playing for the love of the game?  It's all elitist bull crap.

Likewise, I would hope it goes without saying, Dick Fuld, Jimmy Cayne, Big Lloyd.  Hell, even the regulators are rich (see: Paulson, Henry).

Speaking as the father of a daughter who teaches special ed in the Bronx (just typing those words makes the tips of my fingers swell with pride), school teachers should be getting a lot more and race car drivers should be getting a lot less.  But that's not the world we live in.

Nor am I, dear reader, immune to criticism.  The fact that you can buy a used Ferrari for what some of my paintings have sold for is just as cra-cra as the rest of the examples above.

Note to Anonymous:  Shit, it just occurred to me that almost everything I write about on this blog, including myself, but excluding Marianne Faithfull singing As Tears Go By, is elitist bull crap.  If it bugs you, read a gardening blog.

Nonetheless, thank you for your input.  As a reward for your comment I'll offer you one numbered print from my Wall Street series for the price of $150, plus s/h.  Send me a note.

[long pause]

Oh, and one more thing.  I don't know about you, but when I fantasize about driving high performance cars, I tend to think about Ferraris more than I do Toyota Camrys or Ford Fusions.  That's not elitist; that's just practical.

Maybe you should put a paper bag over your mouth and breath into it for a while.
No -- it's okay.  I did get a bit lathered up for moment.  But it's okay.
Good.  Because we didn't want to lose you.
No.  I'm fine.
Good.  On a related topic, I'm unsure of the definition of "cra-cra."  Likewise the pronunciation.
It's slang for nuts.  Crazy.  Pronounced "cray cray".
And your choice of slang here would be a strategy for making the readers think of you as just one more normal old Joe.  One more guy with his feet up, shouting at the little woman to bring a beer, eyes glued to the set, desperate for somebody to buy it at Talladega?
Something like that.