Sounds like some woke thing
If you pay attention to the current political diatribe, you know that “woke” is a hot button issue. LGBTQ+ issues are front and center despite the fact that both political parties in our country claim that politics should stay out of peoples’ personal lives. Well, today is one of those national holidays that will get people on the right all worked up. There is a current theory that the “woke” mob is indoctrinating kids into becoming gay. Today is national Daiquiri day. You can already hear the snickering at the name. It Sounds like some woke thing: is this where they make lesbians? And, even the drink itself is the epitome of an effeminate drink.
But, it wasn’t always seen as a girlie drink. We celebrated Daiquiri day a couple years ago with a little history lesson that we will sum up again. Far from the image of a fruity drink with a little umbrella most people picture, the daiquiri was invented by Iron miners in Cuba around the turn of the 20th century. Naval officers later adopted it as a treat for their troops to boost morale. So, if you think it’s a “gay” drink, try telling that to the brave soldiers who fought at Iwo Jima, Midway, and Guadalcanal. Ernest Hemingway threw back quite a few in his day as well. And, his books are full of macho bravado. So, how did a manly drink reach a point where it Sounds like some woke thing?
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What really Sounds like some woke thing, shouldn’t
The original daiquiri is a simple booze forward drink: A couple shots of rum with a squeeze of lime and sugar. Over the decades, it evolved into a whole class of drinks. While it was popular in men’s clubs and smokey backrooms, the post war era saw it move to the the realm suburban housewives and chic cocktail parties. Women imbibing in alcohol was frowned upon. But, having a cordial or sweet cocktail gained acceptance over the years. As long as they weren’t too forward, and remained submissive, it was okay for them to have a cute cocktail. It really comes down to marketing, as the image above illustrates.
And, that’s where the perception of the daiquiri changed. This ad talks about “sassy” daiquiris. Couple that with a proliferation of fruity variations like strawberry and banana, and its image changed. Instead of a simple martini like drink, it now looks like a dessert. The imagery of these fruity drinks was too hard for Hollywood and the advertising world to pass up. And, since the men were busy working and ruling the world, women and “unmanly” men were the ones shopping. So, that’s who marketers targeted. Naturally, “manly men” had to hate daiquiris.
So, it comes down to men trying to maintain their misogynistic image at the cost of actually enjoying something. Their drinks have to “put hair on your chest” and be “bitter”. Grade A under A sum up the irony perfectly in their video about girly drinks vs manly drinks.
Who needs to avoid a drink that Sounds like some woke thing?
Recently, Bud Light got into some trouble for marketing their “Manly” Light beer to transsexuals. The backlash from the anti-woke right was swift and fierce. The powers that be in right wing media called for a boycott on Bud light that resulted in $27 billion dollars in losses. Additionally, they lost their spot as the number one selling beer in the US. Ironically, the new Number one is Modello Especial, which is a Mexican beer owned by the same company that owns Bud light. Aren’t conservatives also opposed to all things Mexican? And, now they gave up their beverage of choice because their company advertised to a group of people that isn’t the rodeo watching, country music listening, football cheering majority? How dare they try to market to anyone and everyone? That’s UN-American to try to maximize profits and capture as many markets as possible.
perhaps a bit of perspective is in order here. Recent demographics estimate the LGBT community to be about 7 to 8% of the US population. So, what is the threat that a giant company that has proven to be anything but woke over the years decides to go after a niche market? How does getting someone, who would otherwise drink girlie drinks, to appreciate something you like affect your ability to enjoy Bud light? Aren’t conservatives supposed to be concerned about freedom of the marketplace?
This is nothing new. The daiquiri is a perfect example of a group giving up something they like because it was marketed to a group of “others”. So, instead of letting America be the land of the free, it has to be the home of “you keep your stuff over there, away from me” and don’t even look at my stuff?
What are you going to do about it?
Here’s another phrase co-opted by pugnacious men strutting their bravado. Instead of being an invitation to solve a problem, it’s a taunt to start a fight. Well, how about today, we try to return the phrase to its proper meaning?
It seems that people are trying to tell us our opinions in order to gain support for their agenda. The case of bud Light is part of a larger agenda to attack LGBTQ+ rights. But, each of these issues is really something to be addressed on a case by case basis by the local authority. Bud light can advertise to whomever they want. You don’t have to watch the ad. Another contention is transgenders in sports. It’s up to the governing body of the sport, not our government, to decide who is eligible to play. Do we tell the NFL or MLB how to run their organization? We do not, and we should not.
The other hot button issue is kids undergoing gender treatments. Kids can’t make these decisions on their own. They need parental consent. So, it’s a case of bad parenting. And, by the numbers, this is not as big a concern as people make it out to be. There were fewer than 45,000 kids who sought recognition of their dysphoria in 2021 (this includes simply using “pronouns” or seeking therapy). Of them, about 5,000 used puberty blockers or hormone treatments. And, from 2019 to 2021 there were about 800 surgeries. 56 involved genitals. The other 776 were breast tissue removal. There are 73 MILLION kids. So, that means about 0.005% of kids have gender issues. And, when we get to actual surgical intervention: 0.000037%.
Why is it your problem?
Unless you’re a family member of the 800 kids who went as far as surgery over the course of 3 years, this issue has little to no bearing on your life. It sounds like a parenting issue that will benefit from education for the parents. And, more and better counseling would help. It’s not teachers “grooming” kids. If teachers were grooming kids, they would use punctuation, spelling, and grammar correctly. And, people wouldn’t use plurals such as they/them as a pronoun for a single person. The recent spike in gender dysphoria cases is, most likely, due to the fact that people are talking about it so much, especially in politics.
Is this an issue that affects your daily existence? Probably not. Yet, it’s all over the media and in discussions everywhere. Do you worry as much about chemicals in your drinking water or radon gas in your basement? What about mold growing in your bathroom? These are things that directly affect you. But, they don’t get press. You’d rather alter your life over someone else’s issues.
This brings us back to drinking Daiquiris. If you like it, what’s the problem? As grade A under A pointed out, why would you want to drink something that tastes good? Are you afraid of drinking something that sounds like some woke thing? If you prefer drinking lighter fluid and piss, have at it.
Does drinking what miners and Marines drink sound like some woke thing?
So, if you feel that drinking something sweet makes you less of a man, perhaps you need some of that counseling that the gender affirming kids are getting. Drinking “lighter fluid mixed with piss” is your own “gender affirmation”. Having something that tastes good actually makes you a better man, because you’re standing up to “real men”, not “pantywaists”.
It’s time to re-claim your manhood and drink a manly girly drink. It won’t “turn you gay”. Beat the marketers at their own game. Don’t let them tell you what you like. Find out for yourself. And, if it’s a little too sweet for your taste, cut back on the sugar. We don’t need a congressional hearing and knee jerk legislation. It’s your personal choice. So, reclaim your freedom and suck down a couple Daiquiris today, even if it does sound like some woke thing.
And, the beauty of the Daiquiri is its adaptability. You can go with a classic, add fruit, or muddle in some herbs. You could even add some lighter fluid and/or piss if it makes you feel more manly. Here is our variation to start you off on your day. We are doing a cherry key lime daiquiri because cherries are in season and they are as American as George Washington. You can cut back on the sugar if it sounds too sweet. We find that the sugar balances the acidity of the limes.
Summer Cherry and Key Lime Daiquiri
Ingredients
- 12 each Key Limes, cut in 1/2, plus extra for garnish
- 2 Cup Fresh cherries, pits removed, plus extra for garnish
- 8 Oz Light or Golden Rum
- 1/2 Cup Sugar
- 1 Cup Lime Juice
- Lots of ice
- 1 tsp Grated Lime Zest mixed with 1/2 cup sugar to rim the glasses Optional
- Little Umbrellas definitely optional
Instructions
- Cut the key limes in 1/2 and squeeze into a pitcher. Then toss the limes into the pitcher.
- Remove pits and stems from the cherries and add into the pitcher. Then add in the sugar. Muddle these to extract as much flavor as possible.
- Add in the remaining ingredients. Stir well.
- Moisten the rims of the glasses and dip them in the sugar and lime zest mixture. Fill with ice and then strain the drink into the glasses. garnish with cherries and limes.
- You could also make frozen daiquiris by doing the muddling, then removing the key limes and blending the drink in a good blender with lots of ice.