Minority/Women/Small Appreciation Day

"They got little baby legs/And they stand so low/
You got to pick 'em up/Just to say hello"

I saw this sign on the subway yesterday:

"Get Prepped For Success!

Minority/Women/Small Business Owners:
Sign up for the MTA and other government agency contracts."

Now I’m no activist, but I know politically incorrect when I see it. I’m not sure who the ad is addressing – Business Owners who are Minority/Women/Small or people who own Minority/Women/Small Business – but one isn’t much better than the other. Whether this is blatant insensitivity or a case of badly-thought-out slashes, The Canals is dedicating this post to the victims.

So here’s to you, Minority/Women/Small – we’re proving once and for all that you don’t need subway ads to help you out. These artists have already realized your worth.

Amos Lee – Arms Of A Woman
Bert Jansch – A Woman Like You
Bob Dylan – Just Like A Woman
Brett Dennen – Because You are A Woman
Billy Joel – She’s Always A Woman To Me
Belle & Sebastian – Women’s Realm
Green Day – Minority
Kelly Joe Phelps – Spanish Hands
Jackson C. Frank – Spanish Moss
Elbow – Mexican Standoff
James Taylor – Mexico
M. Ward – Chinese Translation
The Decemberists – My Mother Was A Chinese Trapese Artist
Sufjan Stevens – Size Too Small
Bruce Springsteen – From Small Things (Big Things One Day Come)
Randy Newman – Short People
Elton John – Tiny Dancer

-danny

Edit: This hilarious exchange took place on sing365.com, in the comments section for the lyrics of “Short People.” (Italics added for emphasis.)

We Don't Need this Song | Reviewer: EGJ
------ About the song Short People performed by Randy Newman

The "Short People" song lyrics are very clever. However, I find the song offensive and "belittling". As a culture we do too many things to people to emphasize our differences. There are numerous obstacles humans face that make one feel less sure, unwanted, ill-equipped, and inferior to others. This song would have been cleverer if it had lauded the advantages and special view point of people who are different. Random acts of kindness are what will save the world - not acts of meanness.

Amazing Song | Reviewer: Vgfh
------ About the song Short People performed by Randy Newman

People, you're taking this song for something it isn't. It is not an attack on anyone. It's like a lot of people have pointed out, satirical. The only people it is taking the piss out of, are the people who have these views for no good reason. Being English, I appreciate satire and can see sarcasm when it is there. However, in my experiance, and I'm sure this isn't the case of all people, other nationalities have trouble seeing sarcasm, and this is probably why a lot of you seem to be taking it the wrong way. Chill out and see it for what it is, an attack on prejudice and not an attack on short people.

Good thing we have heroes like Vgfh to prevent attacks on attacks on prejudice while never, ever, holding any stereotypes of their own.