Life's Most Embarrassing Moment and There's an Elephant in the Room (believe it or not, these are two totally unrelated subjects)

Kat, from over at Just a BeachKat, has challenged us to speak of our most embarrassing moment in life. Well, geez...my list is long and varied so it's hard to pinpoint one. Unsurprisingly, most of my such moments have occurred because I tend to speak as I'm thinking. Some times, a person really should just wait a moment and let their thoughts fully percolate before they express them. Here's a case in point:
About 7 1/2 years ago, Randey and I were looking to buy a house. We hired a realtor who came up with a list of homes for us to view. In one such house, we were walking through the place, checking out the amenities, when Randey spied the microwave oven. It was placed in a low cabinet, maybe 18 inches off the floor. Randey remarked how cool that would be for the kids - they could use the microwave without our help. He said it would sure be "convenient". I took one look at it and said, "For who? A midget?" Then I turned around and...yeah, you guessed it, the homeowner, a midget, was standing in the doorway. Who could have known? Nothing else in that house gave a clue that the owner was a little dude. I was so embarrassed, I couldn't wait to get back in the car. That house could have been the house of my dreams, and I never would have stepped foot in it again. (Luckily, it was over-priced for our budget anyway so that wasn't an issue. For once, having a lower budget came in handy!) The moral of this story: Think and look before you speak, Kari. Think and look!!
That may not be my most embarrassing moment in life, but it's got to be in the top 5.
Now I have to address a comment left here by Jeanne. Jeanne, an Obama supporter, had this to say about my post-election post:

"Sen. McCain was much more gracious than you all are. This election galvanized the people of this country who till this point felt they had no voice. It would be for the good of ALL for everyone to unite and truly make these the United States of America."

I actually have two things to say about this. The first being that I think Jeanne may have totally and completely misunderstood my aversion to Obama. I wasn't opposed to him because he was a Democrat. I wasn't opposed to him because he has a funny name. And I wasn't opposed to him based solely on the fact that I wanted John McCain to win. I was opposed to him because I think he's a believer in Socialism, which is one step away from communism, which is the exact opposite of everything our country has ever stood for. I don't want my government to "spread the wealth". I want me and my fellow countrymen to earn our own wealth. And while that's one of the biggest issues I have with Barack Obama, it's just the tip of the iceberg. If his "world view" didn't scare the t-total hell out of me, I probably could rest a little easier with the thought of him leading our country. But be "gracious" about him being president, knowing all I've seen and heard from him? No. Not without seeing how he does. I don't give blind allegiance to any human being on this planet, regardless of their "position". You know, I was "gracious" when Texas whupped Oklahoma's butt in college football this year. I was "gracious" when the waiter walked up to our table and promptly tumped a full to-go container of hot spaghetti in my lap. I was "gracious" when my sister and I spotted the same beautiful red jar in an antique market and I backed off because I knew she wanted it more than I did. But be "gracious" when I think a socialist has been put in charge of our government and our military? No. I don't think so. But as I said in that post-election post, I will continue to pray that I am wrong about the man. I will keep an open mind. I will learn all I can about any given subject or decision he makes without jumping to conclusions. I will try to look at things from every angle possible. To do any less, would be remiss of me.
As to the part about "This election galvanized the people of this country who till this point felt they had no voice." I think that's pure bull-hockey. Let me just say here, publicly, what many people are saying quietly amongst themselves...Obama was elected in large part because he's black. (I can say this, you see, because I've already been called a racist, based on my opposition and questions regarding Obama.) Those "galvanized" people of which you speak weren't galvanized because of Obama's greatness or his demeanor or even his high-falutin' speeches. They were "galvanized" because he's a black man. All of those people had a "voice" before, they just didn't use it. Why? Because they didn't care before now. If these people felt disenfranchised, certainly in the last 30 years, it was as much their own fault as anyone else's. I get how exciting and thrilling it must have been for the black community to see a black man elected president. After Sarah Palin was nominated, I let my mind wander to the future possibilities. I thought to myself "Wow! If McCain wins, in four years, this country could probably have 2 women at the top of the presidential tickets. Hillary Clinton for the Dems and Sarah Palin for the Republicans.". And yeah, I felt exhilarated at the thought. A woman president. Woo-hoo! It was a "We've come a long way, baby!" moment. But had Hillary received the Democratic nomination this year instead of Obama and if McCain had selected a man for his VP, I still would have voted for McCain. As much as I would have liked to see a woman shatter that glass ceiling, I wouldn't have voted for Hillary Clinton because she and I don't have enough in common with our political views. Just by virtue of the fact that she's a woman would not have been enough to win my vote. Many people voted for Obama because of his skin color and for no other reason. I saw interview after interview of people supporting Obama with absolutely no clue as to what he stood for. That does not sit well with me. Now I'm not saying that everyone voted for Obama because he's black. I know of people who voted for Obama because they loved his "rhetorical ability" (that's a quote from Colin Powell). I know of people who voted for Obama because they just plain, ol' hated George W. Bush. And I know of people who voted for Obama because they believed in all his promises. But far too many people voted for Obama because of his skin color. Those people who just now "found their voice" should be asking themselves why a person's skin color "galvanized" them into action and why being American with the right to vote wasn't enough to "galvanize" them in the past.
Okay, people, now you can bring on the charges that I'm a racist. I know it's coming. I'm "white", therefore, in this country with all it's political correctness, I'm not allowed to state the obvious or state any sort of view on race, for that matter. I regret that I will be viewed as a racist by anyone. I have long held the belief that none of us is black or white or yellow or red....but rather, we are all just different shades of brown. That naivete' has been stripped away, however. I've come to realize that the "melting pot" reputation of our country isn't as true as I had been taught. It's obvious that our country suffers from great racial division and, as a "white" person, I'm not supposed to talk about it. Anybody ever heard that saying "There's an elephant in the room"? It means there's something very obvious sitting right in front of us but nobody will acknowledge it. How do we progress if we are afraid to talk openly with each other? I've stated a viewpoint and I fully expect to be skewered for it. Isn't political correctness grand?


P.S. It is with a heavy heart that I click on the "publish" button. I know I will have cast the dye that will cause so many to think ill of me. I can hear the gasps now. I guess I'm just tired of dancing around this subject. I hate racism. I hate that every person in this country, heck - in this world, doesn't believe that we truly are just different shades of brown. I have never, ever understood why skin color is so important. Why does it matter? If more of us, of every shade of brown, dismissed skin color as being a "defining characteristic", wouldn't the issue of racism become a thing of the past? Isn't it incumbent upon all of us to work towards that ideal? As long as it's okay for any segment of society to define itself by skin color, racism will never go away. And until we face up to and talk about how and why people focus on skin color with such fervor, we'll never be able to get past it.