February Cartoon of the Month

Don't-lose-heart

I’m recycling this “valentine” from 2012 because the world needs your heart especially now!  Don’t lose heart.  You are Loved because you are a child of the Universe, and the World needs you now, more than ever!

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January -Cartoon of the Month

Savage Dali New Year Greeting

Savage wonders where her time goes

It’s already 2018?  Last I looked it was 2014.  This is the beginning of new possibilities, an election year, a new dog and pony show.

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Thinking about Christmas Already?

It’s not even Thanksgiving!  The stores are decked out, the halls are reverberating with carols.   My cat can’t wait to have new toys.

Savage-new-toy-christmas

 

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Savage Halloween

halloween-is-savage-holiday

The night is still young, plenty time for Savage fun.

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Another Day, Another Costume

halloweenfun-edit

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Don’t Call Me Ma’am!

Don't Call Me Ma'am

Don’t call me “Ma’am” unless I look like I’m over 65. Even then, Sir, doesn’t every woman wants to think she’s not past her “sell-by date.”   If you’re my waiter and  you want a big tip from me,  call me “Miss”.  If you’re a shoe salesman and you want me to buy those shoes, say, “Can I help you Miss”?   At the check-out counter, if you want a big smile,  DON’T CALL ME MA’AM!  I’m willing to bet most women still love being called a “Miss”.   It’s subtle . . .  it’s flattering, it’s like you just said, “You’re still attractive.” 

I LOVE the guy at the Post Office who says, “Hello Young Lady”.   He’s from the South and he doesn’t call me “Ma’am”.   He knows something a lot of gentlemen don’t.   

When you say “Thank you Ma’am.” I cringe and my inner voice screams “I’m NOT my old Aunt Edna!!  I’m NOT my mother”   It’s like a poke in the eye , a term of non-endearment and everything it represents.    It’s a moniker reserved for women of a “certain age”,  but there’s an undercurrent of something derogatory in it.  What is the exact age at which a woman becomes “Ma’am” and not “Miss”?   30? 40? 50? 60? 70? Does it mean I’m a married woman not a single woman?   Why must age and status enter into a casual relationship with a stranger?  Ok, Mister.  I’m not your mother or your boss, the Queen or your teacher.   

How do I correct those nice young men at the checkout, at the bank?  I don’t.   I’m not allowed to say anything unless I can figure out a way not to sound snarky or sound like I have a chip on my shoulder.   Just five years ago, I was still being carded when I bought a bottle of wine, which meant  I appeared to look 28 or younger.  That is a stretch but I liked it.  Somehow, it made me feel more relevant in this youth obsessed culture.   And, exactly when did youth become the pedestal upon which we all must live, gauge our self worth?  Our culture does not affirm the glories of older women.  Men with grey hair look “distinguished”, women with grey hair, over the hill.   I resent this, yes I do.

When I was 28, making my living in the entertainment business, a director told me, “You ain’t no spring chicken”.   OMG, I’m over the hill at 28?!!  I’ll be wearing polyester and hobbling along the street with a cane in no time.  And why do we say “28 years OLD”?  Why isn’t is “28 years YOUNG”?  

This brings up the topic of Age-ism, which is rampant, especially in the ole US of A — and it somehow seems more imposing if you’re female — or if you’re in certain professions where the 20 somethings receive most of the adulation and attention  Nearly every popular magazine shows svelte young women, air brushed, too thin, professionally  made up and super-groomed.   We are obsessed with celebrity and youth.  Birthday cards are often jokes about “getting older.”  Articles on how the years have not been kind to certain “celebs”, their cellulite and flab exposed to the world; shame on them for not retaining their youth.   The cosmetics and plastic surgery industry, injecting face parts with botulinum toxin, fad diets, brain supplements, all support the myth that youthful beauty means you’re desirable, hip, and valued.

I do believe that living well, thinking well, eating well, and being well improves the aging process.  If we’re lucky enough we have the privilege of living a long, healthy, rich and fulfilling life and we might deserve a certain degree of respect.  Our entire culture seems to have forgotten that elders might be wise productive members of society.  We put them out to pasture in granny farms, reinforcing age as something to hide away, remove from view.   The graceful aging process doesn’t deserve to be reduced to “Ma’am” —  an aberration of the French “Madame” which has some air of dignity and authority to it.  Kiss my hand and call me “Madame” with a French accent, that somehow  feels different.  Then again, “Madam” can refer to an older woman who manages a brothel, escort service or some other form of prostitution,  What about “My Lady”?   Ooooh, how 18th century romantic.

Hey maybe some women feel “Ma’am” connotes respect. They’re proud of their Ma’am-ness.   Well  . . .  not  for me, “Ma’am” does the opposite.

Is it the same for men?  If a man is  called “Sir” or “Mister” does that mean they’ve hit THAT AGE of not being youthful, virile and vibrant- i.e., past your prime, no longer full of potential, hopes, dreams?    In the military, in school, or if you’re not on a first name basis with your boss, maybe “Yes, Sir!” is required . .. But in street clothes,  does “Sir”  make you feel better, more distinguished? Maybe it does for men.    Maybe it denotes authority and respect?   And, we’ve been trained to trust the image of the white, grey haired white male more than any other demographic in the USA.  These are usually the most influential leaders in politics, business, military, in all areas of life.  Maybe it’s because they remind us of “Daddy’.    And the “Ma’ams” and “Madams” are old women who are regarded as well . . . old.   This might be different for transgender folk.

I’m not talking about political correctness, eliminating or creating gender neutral forms of address. I’m talking about what is a kind and polite way to address women in public situations where you don’t know their names.   When in doubt, leave it out.   It’s easy to say “Thank you” without the “Ma’am”.

Abraham Lincoln said, ‘In the end it’s not the years in your life, but the life in your years.”  And Henry Ford, “Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty.  Anyone who keeps learning stays young.”   It’s not just about being young at heart, it’s having a purpose and a place.   

If I do happen to hobble into your establishment wearing polyester some day and you call me “ma’am”, I probably won’t give a damn what you say.  I’ll have earned my license to speak my mind. In fact, I’ve earned it already, and I’ve gotten over it by writing this rant.  But remember . . .  If you don’t call me Ma’am, I won’t call you “Mister”.

PS.  I  discovered this Blog after I wrote this little rant.  Check it out:  “Don’t Call Me Ma’am”.  It’s reassuring that others feel the same.

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Cartoon of the Month – August

This one’s for all of you having some brain trouble.   This is in the first edition mini book “This is NOT a Coloring Book”

beta-release-square

Savage Beta Brain is tested.and released prematurely.

I’ve  got a bad case of  “CARTOON BRAIN.”  Is it time to unplug and reboot?

This is the latest greatest new improved upngrade? I’m sure I’ve been downgraded.   The more I try to fix it the more it tries to fix me!

When things go wrong, do you wonder if the Operating System is corrupt?

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What’s the Big Secret?

LITTLE SAVAGE:  I just saw the movie “The Secret”.  It’s message seems to be that thoughts are the most powerful things in the Universe.   So….If I think the right thoughts, will the Universe align itself with me, and everything I want will fall from the sky?  If I really feel it and think it, will that shiny new Tesla arrive in my driveway free of charge?   Would this mean that Everything and Everyone are mass hallucinations of each other’s thought processes creating the Universe each according to her/his own reality?   That works for me!
I am a cartoon.  In my multi-universe, I can have anything I want; anything can happen on the page.  If I fall off the edge and crash, I pop right back up, intact and whole.   I don’t know how it works; it just is.  I’m simply the outward expression of my creator’s thoughts.  That’s the beauty of being a cartoon.
SAVAGE CREATOR For those of us who are NOT cartoons, here are a few NOT-so-secret pieces of wisdom.  If you find the love in your work and you do the work, the possibilities open up.  Thoughts are powerful things: your attitude,  sense of purpose and resilience do matter.  Small successes build upon each other,.  Mistakes are simply part of the learning curve and are often the best teacher.  Redefine your work, play and embrace it.  Love it. Love it Love it. . The more present you are, the happier you are. Everything is NOT your fault (nor the other person’s).  Leaping tall buildings in a single bound is for super heros and cartoons.  It does happen occasionally. The more you are willing to do for your dream, the greater the possibility you will make it come true, with a little help from your friend the Universe.  Ask not what your dream can do for you, but what you can do for your dream. The “how” tends to reveal itself if you’re paying attention and doing the work. “WORK?!!”  Is that idea going to sell?
Don’t get me wrong. There’s nothing wrong with having the “good life”.  Give us this day our daily bread, roof, health and needed implements.   But, if it’s more things you want, rather than the good you can do with your abundance, think about that for a minute.  Aren’t things just part of the clutter? Ever see the “Story of Stuff”?   Things are only good if they’re being used for something good.   Accumulating  things for the sake of it, or because you want the hottest new car because some advertiser sold you on it . . . . what is that?    WHY do you want it? What will you use it for?   Your ego gratification?  Ever hear of GREED or wanting more than you NEED.  What about ENOUGH?  Is it really all about YOU?  What about US?  Is your dream about stuff and fluff, or is it bigger than that?  End of transmission.
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Welcome to the Little Savage™ Multiverse

 

I have moved my blogging from Blogger to here as I get ready to launch my 6 books, as ebooks, mini books and maxi books.  I have been reconstructing my website and getting ready to take this show on the road!   Hope you’ll come along with me!

 

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