Come on Down, Hump Day Camel (We’ve Got Bigger Fish to Fry)

Hello folks, let’s chat… The poor Hump Day Camel. Hot one minute. Hot potato the next.

I’m referring of course, to Mr. Camel being banned from posing in photographs on a certain college campus because he could be, I’m quoting now, “offensive to Middle Eastern cultures.” I wish I were kidding. Sounds to me like somebody was bound and determined to be offended about something. I’m only bringing it up now because I was traveling when the story broke and because of a related story I found that just screams irony.

I read that one hundred and fifty new words have been added to the Webster dictionary and, as usual, I find the list confusing. For instance, they’ve officially recognized the word “catfish”. I don’t mean to sound like a know-it-all, but my folks and I have been recognizing catfish for a long time. As a matter of fact, my man and I recently installed a catfish feeder on our dock to welcome all comers.

I know about catfish. I know how to hold them so they won’t cut you with their fins, I know the sound of their voice, and I know how to batter and fry them regardless of how much they try and talk you out of it. What I did not know until these new words were recognized, is that there are people who define a catfish as “someone who creates a false identity online, particularly to pursue deceptive online romances.”¬

And therein lies the irony. Of all people, we southerners are the most closely identified with catfish but you’ve heard nary a word of protest from us over the word being used in a derogatory manner, have you? Of course not.

We aren’t going to riot because you’ve vilified our catfish. We’re not going to hold sit-ins or sit-outs. We’re just going to sit down to another mess of fillets and hushpuppies and laugh at this kind of nonsense. Dear Hump Day Camel, come on down. We’ll take pictures with you and hope they go viral. All together now, “Cheese!”

Hugs, Shellie