Last night Gov. Sarah Palin, in her big speech to the nation, made a little joke. She started out by calling herself a "hockey mom," and followed that up immediately by adding "What's the difference between a hockey mom and a pit bull? Lipstick!"
Now. She got a big laugh and a cheer from the audience for what seemed to be a nice little joke about how tough hockey moms are, and how tenacious. And if I hadn't been a hockey fan back in the early 1990s, I probably would have agreed.
You see, back then there was this phenomenal prospect named Eric Lindros. He was big, tough, talented, scored goals, took hits, and played like an adult, not a teenager. Every team in the NHL wanted him, and when the hapless Quebec Nordiques finished at the bottom of the standings and got the first pick in the amateur draft, their management said that they would take Lindros and build their new team around him.
Problem: Eric didn't want to play in Quebec. He sat out a year, played for the national team, and basically boycotted the NHL until the Nords traded him to Philadelphia. He became one of the most hated people in Quebec, and his parents (especially his mother, Bonnie) were called pushy bigots who hated the Quebecois.
Guess what the most popular joke in Quebec (and most of Canada) was for a while?
Go on. Guess.
"What's the difference between Bonnie Lindros and a pit bull? Lipstick!"
Now - I hope Sarah Palin has enough class that she'd forgotten that her allegedly flattering comparison started out as a way for angry Nordiques fans to call Bonnie Lindros a bitch. Raising five kids, running an overpopulated state like Alaska (and a booming town like Wasilla) and planning her daughter's wedding in addition to running for Vice President are more than enough to cause memory lapses...