It's Not The Tan, It's The Tanning Bed

I'll Tell You What It Is... (0.00 / 0)

...it's elitist!

Pu  

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by: Soundpolitic @ Thu Sep 18, 2008 at 15:08:02 PM UTC

Put the shoe on the other foot... (0.00 / 0)

...is what I meant to say.  What if this was Barack Obama installing a tanning bed in his Senate office?  We'll skip the glaringly obvious reason he would never need to do this...but just how loud and how many times a day would the right-wing media remind us that "real" Americans don't install tanning beds in their homes unless they are latte-sipping, Volvo-driving, tanning-bed-lying-in-their-house elitists?

And the answer is that you'd never hear the end of it and the McPalin campaign would have made an ad about it featuring Paris Hilton in a tanning bed.

Maybe Sarah Palin's response will be that she can see Sunny Spain from her house to make up for GI John's recent confusion as to where Spain is located.

New ad:  He can't remember how many houses he owns...She can't remember how she paid to have a tanning bed installed in her house.  McCain-Palin: The original elitists.

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by: Soundpolitic @ Thu Sep 18, 2008 at 15:15:21 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Sorry -- but this isn't a real story (0.00 / 0)

In Alaska, they not only have long, dark winters, but also have very cloudy summers.  Attitudes can be affected by this.  I know my mindset drops after several cloudy days.

A tanning bed is common in Alaska, as an alternative to the kind of lighting fixture that is generally recommended.  If Governor Palin wanted to ensure that the Governor's mindset was properly optimistic in the face of the depressing climate they have, she has a legitimate claim.  In addition, the fact that she paid for the bed and its installation, rather than do something shady, is in her favor.

True, the taxpayers will foot the electric bill, but it's a small price to pay.

There is plenty to attack Sarah Palin on -- witness today's delightfully written op-ed piece in the NY Times.  Let's not worry about minor things that truly don't make for a good issue.

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by: Dan Jacoby @ Thu Sep 18, 2008 at 16:33:06 PM UTC

Sorry... but it is (0.00 / 0)

It was insinuated at first that this was paid at taxpayer's expense. One person said it wasn't. I want to see the proof.

That said, I know something about Seasonal Affective Disorder. I have had it and have dealt with it over the last few years. A tanning bed is certainly an extreme expense to deal with it. Seasonal Affective Disorder. There is a thing called light therapy, which involves a small light. You will notice I said "small light" and not "tanning bed." I really doubt that she is dealing with SAD. After all, this is a "Vogue" cover girl we are talking about.

The point of this post (which you missed) was that people are trying to claim that those criticizing her are saying she can't tan. No one said she can't tan. Like I said in my post, I have a number of friends and family who tan. I don't think that's anything earth-shattering. People tan all the time.

The difference is that the people I know don't buy tanning beds for their homes. They also don't buy the tanning bed for their taxpayer-funded home. You might think it's a "small price to pay" but I can just imagine the outrage here if the governor installed a tanning bed. But hey, I guess it's alright as long as it's there and not here.

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by: robert.harding @ Thu Sep 18, 2008 at 16:54:29 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Move to Alaska first (0.00 / 0)

Live there for a few years.  See what's "normal" for Alaskans.  Then tell me that a tanning bed is excessive.

The point is, tanning beds are common in Alaska.  They are part of the society.  The reason Governor Paterson would be pilloried for installing a tanning bed in the Governor's mansion here (even at his own expense) is that tanning beds are considered a peculiarity here.

In other words, when in Rome...

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by: Dan Jacoby @ Thu Sep 18, 2008 at 18:17:09 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

I don't need to move to Alaska... (0.00 / 0)

In my small town here in New York, we have multiple tanning salons. Humiston, who I referenced to in this post, owns 34 salons across upstate New York. I don't get why we think that the only place in North America where they have tanning beds is Alaska. We have them in New York too, you know. Tanning beds are common in most cooler climates because we don't get a lot of sun either. This shouldn't be breaking news.

A tanning bed for your house is excessive. Are you saying that all Alaskans have tanning beds in their homes? Because that's the point I'm addressing here. I think a tanning bed in your home is excessive. I've been stating that as my opinion. Tanning beds are not cheap. I would imagine the electric bill with them wouldn't be cheap either when in use.

Again, right here in New York I have friends that tan all year. They go to the tanning salon and get their 15 or 20 minutes of fake baking in on a regular basis. They do it even during the summer time. So I don't need to go to Alaska to see their tanning rituals there. The cooler the climate, the more likely you have tanning salons galore.  

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by: robert.harding @ Thu Sep 18, 2008 at 18:38:53 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Economics in Alaska (0.00 / 0)

In Alaska, every resident gets a check every year.  It's their "share" of revenues from the oil pipeline.  What are they going to spend that money on?  Tanning beds can cost as little as $2,000; even with installation costs many Alaskans can afford them.  (I've been searching for some indication of the incidence of tanning beds in Alaska homes vs. U.S. rates, but haven't found anything yet.)

Also, Alaska has the lowest melanoma rate in the country, so the people there are probably less likely to consider that possibility when they install tanning beds.

Second, there is a difference between upstate NY and Alaska.  Rochester, for example, is at 43°09' north, but Anchorage is at 61°13' north.  There's a lot more darkness in Anchorage in the winter.  On November 4, the time difference between sunrise and sunset in Rochester wll be 10:08, while in Anchorage it will be 8:11.  (Note:  Juneau, the state capital, is a bit farther south than Anchorage, although Wasilla is a bit farther north.)

Finally, if you want to go after Sarah Palin:  How about her decision as mayor of Wasilla to require rape victims to pay for rape kits?  How about her complete failure to understand how much of the nation's energy supplies, or oil and gas, is provided by her home state?  How about her sudden refusal to cooperate with the "troopergate" investigation, after saying she would?

The tanning bed is, at best, a "silly season" issue.  Let's move on.

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by: Dan Jacoby @ Thu Sep 18, 2008 at 19:50:35 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Don't care (4.00 / 1)

This is the kind of crap that the average American doesn't care about. It's why people dislike politics.

I don't don't care if she has a tanning bed put in the Governor's mansion, just like I don't care how many house McCain owns, nor do I care about Obama's or Biden's petty mistakes.

You know what I do care about?

Issues and Ideas.

What the candidates ideas are, and how they are going to work solve our Country's problems. That is what I and a majority of American's care about.  

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by: MattS @ Thu Sep 18, 2008 at 20:38:11 PM UTC