Howard Rich And the Golden Pig - A Parable
I bet you've heard the tales. I had heard that this was the Chinese Year of the Fire Pig. (As a Wood Ram, I understand something about the Chinese Zodiac, but that's not important right now. And stop calling me "Shirley.")
And I thought, well, the year of the Flaming Pig ought surely to be Howie Rich's signature year. And, perhaps it will be. But let's return to the "Golden Pig" shall we?
This morning, our local "progressive" talk radio host, Brian Shaw, dug up that it was supposedly the "Year of the Golden Pig" which only comes once every 600 years. And, there are a number of articles backing up this claim in an incurious and stupid American media. The GOLDEN Pig comes only ONCE every 600 YEARS! Children born in this year are very lucky, etc. etc.
It was an honest mistake on his part. He wasn't the only 'pundit' conned by the Tale of the Golden Pig.
And it's appropriate that I tell you this on "President's Day." (I'll tell you why that is in a moment.)
First, you need to track that this "Golden Pig" media crosstalk is ONLY coming from South Korea. The Chinese, Vietnamese, etc. who also follow the Chinese zodiac only talk about the Fire Pig year. (Most of Asia, in other words).
Well, according to Korean Radio (South Korea's only foreign language broadcast radio, founded 1953), in a January 1, 2007, article, the whole "Golden Pig" story is a myth cooked up by advertising/marketing types:
A marketing scam to boost the birth-rate and sell lots of baby gear and oodles of souvenir "golden pigs." Golden Pigs for the marketers, obviously, but not so benevolent to the people being conned out of their cash.
There you go: the modern panacea. Don't accept reality. INVENT reality. And that brings us to WHY it's important to tell you this on President's Day:
Section 6103(a) of Title V of the U.S. Code says that this is officially George Washington's Birthday. The term "Presidents Day" was INVENTED by a southern department store for a sale, and has been quite the hit for "PRESIDENTS DAY SALE" s around the nation. Who knew that "George Washington Slept Here" would be the start of so many "White" sales? Did he really chew up the sheets when he slept?
According to "2005 Newspaper of the Year by the Maryland-Delaware-District of Columbia Newspaper Association," The Herald-Mail:
So, there are two myths that have been successfully run on you, courtesy of the incurious U.S. media. A little digging would have revealed both as lies. But they were foisted with the sure knowledge that we WOULDN'T dig a little deeper.
Let's talk about the third.
Howard Rich is a "Republican," and doesn't have anything to do with the Sam Adams Alliance. It seems that ...
But that's enough mind blowing for one afternoon. We will pick up the metaphor tomorrow in part II, "Tales of the Flaming Pigs."
Courage.
And I thought, well, the year of the Flaming Pig ought surely to be Howie Rich's signature year. And, perhaps it will be. But let's return to the "Golden Pig" shall we?
This morning, our local "progressive" talk radio host, Brian Shaw, dug up that it was supposedly the "Year of the Golden Pig" which only comes once every 600 years. And, there are a number of articles backing up this claim in an incurious and stupid American media. The GOLDEN Pig comes only ONCE every 600 YEARS! Children born in this year are very lucky, etc. etc.
It was an honest mistake on his part. He wasn't the only 'pundit' conned by the Tale of the Golden Pig.
And it's appropriate that I tell you this on "President's Day." (I'll tell you why that is in a moment.)
First, you need to track that this "Golden Pig" media crosstalk is ONLY coming from South Korea. The Chinese, Vietnamese, etc. who also follow the Chinese zodiac only talk about the Fire Pig year. (Most of Asia, in other words).
Well, according to Korean Radio (South Korea's only foreign language broadcast radio, founded 1953), in a January 1, 2007, article, the whole "Golden Pig" story is a myth cooked up by advertising/marketing types:
SEOUL TODAY
The Myth of the Year of Golden Pig
2007-01-01
The year 2007 is the 'Year of the Pig,' based on the lunar calendar. But it is not just an ordinary pig, it is a 'golden pig.' According to some fortunetellers, it is going to be the 'Year of the Golden Pig' which comes every 600 years.
Babies born in the 'year of the golden pig' are believed to have good fortune and will lead a comfortable and wealthy life.
However, most fortunetellers and folklorists doubt the belief. According to a member of a fortunetellers' association, they don't know where the myth came from. It is only a saying among people and there are no grounds for it.
People who believe in the year of the golden pig say the special year comes every 600 years. They came to this conclusion through calculations, using a combination of the Chinese zodiac and the yin and yang theory.
However, a folklore professor, Joo Young-ha, at the Academy of Korean Studies rebuts the theory. He explained that if the year 2007 is the golden pig year which comes every 600 years, there should be records about the special year written in the 'Taejong Sillok,' archives of King Taejong. King Taejong ruled the Joseon Dynasty 600 years ago. But there are no such records, which makes him believe the myth was made not long ago.
Also, Baek Woon-san, head of the Korean Fortune-tellers Association, thinks the whole thing is an exaggeration. However, he said that there have been many people with good fortune who were born in the year of the pig, when the energy of bright light and clear water are harmoniously joined together.
Some even believe the myth was created to boost the ever-decreasing birthrate in recent years. In fact, Korea's birthrate is expected to increase this year. Many obstetrics and gynecology clinics are actually providing more pregnancy counseling these days.
Whatever the belief is, marketing is already in full swing. You will notice golden pig items everywhere you go in Korea. Gold colored piggy banks are selling well and are also a popular promotional item for companies. They are actually very cute.
Some businesses, including banks, are even presenting gold bars as a lottery prize to people who open a bank account these days. Also, demand for gold is increasing as more people are using gold as gifts for relatives and friends, wishing them good luck.
Baby product companies are also quick to jump on the gilded bandwagon. For example, toy companies are making various toy pigs.
A marketing scam to boost the birth-rate and sell lots of baby gear and oodles of souvenir "golden pigs." Golden Pigs for the marketers, obviously, but not so benevolent to the people being conned out of their cash.
There you go: the modern panacea. Don't accept reality. INVENT reality. And that brings us to WHY it's important to tell you this on President's Day:
Section 6103(a) of Title V of the U.S. Code says that this is officially George Washington's Birthday. The term "Presidents Day" was INVENTED by a southern department store for a sale, and has been quite the hit for "PRESIDENTS DAY SALE" s around the nation. Who knew that "George Washington Slept Here" would be the start of so many "White" sales? Did he really chew up the sheets when he slept?
According to "2005 Newspaper of the Year by the Maryland-Delaware-District of Columbia Newspaper Association," The Herald-Mail:
Bartlett doesn't like Presidents DayAgain, 'Presidents Day' exists as a way to separate you from your money. It's George Washington's Birthday! (OK, the legal three-day weekend version. The actual birthday is on the 22nd, this Thursday).
By TARA REILLY tarar@herald-mail.com
WASHINGTON COUNTY (MD?)
Calling Presidents Day a big lie and a historical myth, U.S. Rep. Roscoe Bartlett has renewed his push for separate recognition of the birthdays of George Washington and Abraham Lincoln.
"A generic Presidents Day diminishes the accomplishments of America's greatest presidents, George Washington and Abraham Lincoln, while rewarding the mediocrity of others," Bartlett, R-Md., said in a press release.
Presidents Day, a federal holiday, is observed on the third Monday in February. It falls on Feb. 19 this year.
Bartlett has reintroduced legislation, the Washington-Lincoln Recognition Act, which would direct all federal agencies to refer to the third Monday in February as Washington's Birthday. The congressman said that's the legal name of the observance, not Presidents Day ....
So, there are two myths that have been successfully run on you, courtesy of the incurious U.S. media. A little digging would have revealed both as lies. But they were foisted with the sure knowledge that we WOULDN'T dig a little deeper.
Let's talk about the third.
Howard Rich is a "Republican," and doesn't have anything to do with the Sam Adams Alliance. It seems that ...
But that's enough mind blowing for one afternoon. We will pick up the metaphor tomorrow in part II, "Tales of the Flaming Pigs."
Courage.
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