Lydia the Tatooed Lady

When that poor girl from South Carolina was held up to national scorn for her answer to a beauty pageant question my first impulse was embarrassment followed by pity. Memories of sad moments in my own life came washing over me and my heart ached in sympathy for her. I also imagine how mortified her family must feel.

But thanks to the Web, YouTube and a savage population of media jackals looking for new blood her infamous moment in the spotlight is fast becoming part of contemporary folklore. Neal Boortz, never one to miss a cheap shot, bullied her without mercy as he put another notch on his belt, using her answer to underscore his relentless tirade against what he insists on calling "government schools." I'm not embedding the snip. You'll have to go to another site to find it. (Right sidebar of the link, in case you are among the few who have not yet watched.)

But when I came across one of the "posts" from that site I had to make this connection. Take a look and see for yourself.



My life was wrapped around the circus.
Her name was Lydia.
I met her at the world’s fair in 1900,marked down from 1940.

Ah, Lydia.She was the most glorious creature
Under the su-un.Guiess. DuBarry. Garbo.Rolled into one.
Oooooooh
Lydia oh Lydia, say have you met Lydia,
Lydia, the Tattooed Lady.
She has eyes that folks adore so,
And a torso even more so.
Lydia oh Lydia, that encyclopidia,
Oh Lydia the Queen of Tattoo.
On her back is the Battle of Waterloo.
Beside it the wreck of the Hesperus, too.
And proudly above waves the Red, White, and Blue,
You can learn a lot from Lydia.
La la la, la la la, la la la, la la la
When her robe is unfurled, she will show you the world,
If you step up and tell her where.
For a dime you can see Kankakee or Paris,
Or Washington crossing the Delaware.
La la la, la la la, la la la, la la la
Oh Lydia oh Lydia, say have you met Lydia,
Oh Lydia the Tattooed Lady
When her muscles start relaxin’,
Up the hill comes Andrew Jackson
Lydia oh Lydia, that encyclopidia,oh Lydia the queen of them all!
For two bits she will do a mazurka in jazz,
With a view of Niagara that nobody has.
And on a clear day you can see Alcatraz.
You can learn a lot from Lydia.
La la la, la la la, la la la, la la la
Come along and see Buff’lo Bill with his lasso.
Just a little classic by Mendel Picasso.
Here is Captain Spaulding exploring the Amazon.
Here’s Godiva but with her pajamas on.
La la la, la la la, la la la, la la la
Here is Grover Whalen unveilin’ the Trilon.
Over on the West Coast we have Treaure Island.
Here’s Najinsky a-doin’ the rhumba.Here’s her social security numba.
{whistles}La la la, la la la, la la la, la la la
Oh Lydia, oh Lydia that encyclopidia,
Oh Lydia the champ of them all.
She once swept an Admiral clear off his feet.
The ships on her hips made his heart skip a beat.
And now the old boy’s in command of the fleet,
For he went and married Lydia.
I said Lydia{He said Lydia}
They said Lydia{We said Lydia}
La La!

►►►§§§§§§§◄◄◄

On a slightly different track, Peter Oakley released another video a few hours old describing what he did last week. In ten minutes or so he tells a little about his family, including a very special man who came for a visit.
I'm not embedding because if you go to YouTube you can select the full screen view. In this case it seems more enjoyable that way.

Mr. Oakley tells about making a video of his multi-challenged (now grown) foster son for his sister in Australia whom he never gets a chance to see. He was tempted to put it up for his You Tube audience but wisely decided against it because of trolls. The wholesale distribution of the teen beauty pageant's embarrassing moment illuatrates how a large population of thoughtless people stands ready to exploit such videos. I don't favor censorship but look forward to a time when it will not be considered good form to make children objects of derision.