Dale Jr's Brew Crew Site |
Please take control of your colorful metaphors------- Well, we knew it was coming. NASCAR has warned the drivers about the use of colorful metaphors during interviews on live TV. No more bombs are to be dropped, or else face the consequences of a trip to the oval office and possible fines. Zero tolerance. Well, I think the drivers should retaliate and not give an interview the minute they return from the infield care center after they fly through the air with the greatest of ease. They should refuse to have a microphone shoved into their face after pulling their million dollar race car behind the wall after leading a bizillion laps, only to have a $5 part break and cause their early exit from the race. They should also just quietly put up and hand and say "thank you" and walk away if they don't finish in the top-5. But, you know that will never happen. Instead Nextel and NASCAR is going to groom a new generation of drivers. I have been fearing this for quite some time, but now I see the plan coming into it's own. The dreaded "stepford driver" is being born. I'm sure you all remember that 70's movie, The Stepford Wives, where all the wives in the neighborhood became robots. Our drivers are going to become those robots. Imagine victory lane interviews when the reporter asks, "so, driver, how did you win this race?" Driver responds, "well, the (insert sponsor name) (insert car make and manufacturer) was just fast today." No, really? Your car was the fastest, maybe that's how you got into victory lane? No excitement in the situation at all. Now, not that I condone R-rated language during prime time, however the occasional drop of the "D-bomb" or the "S-bomb" is not going to burn anyone's ears. You hear worse than that on prime time television and in the movies that are rated PG-13. I can understand NASCAR issuing a request for the drivers to try to act more as if they are speaking to their grandmothers or children, however, the media should give them the respect right back and look at the timing of shoving the microphone in their face. The other side of this censorship leads me to mention the scanners. Nextel and NASCAR have no rights whatsoever, in my book, as to what can be said in radio communication amongst the team. This is a privilege to eavesdrop on a teams' communication, and if parents cannot take the responsibility to censor whom they let their children listen to, it shouldn't be NASCAR's responsibility. And if you don't know who to let your kids listen to, ask someone sitting next to you at the track, I'm sure someone will be glad to give you a bit of insight. Let the drivers be who they are, within reason, and leave the scanners out of it. I think we will all survive hearing a colorful metaphor here and there. Until next time, go fast, turn left, stay safe and keep the shiny side up. |
Colorful Metaphors by Lisa Mathis |
