Rant #1,849: Naked Eye

The weather is beautiful in my neck of the woods, resembling April, and certainly not February.

I know other parts of the country are getting hit hard by rain and tornadoes, but here in the East, this is the mildest February I can ever remember.

We had that one spate of snow, and since then, the temperatures have pretty much consistently been in the mid 40s to the high 60s.

It is warm, and I don't know if this has anything to do with global warming, but when I see it is in the mid to high 60s and February isn't even done yet, well, something is amiss.

It is affecting my allergies big time. I haven't had a major problem just yet, but with things blooming two months before they should have, you just know that allergy sufferers are going to be suffering when it is in the 60s in February.

And the birds are out, returned from their winter vacation weeks earlier than normal, and they are making their mark on these parts, and my car has been the recipient of their damage--and this is just February yet.

Look, we still have to get through the remainder of this month, the entirety of March, and the first half of April in order to be "safe" as far as snowstorms and cold weather go, but except for that brief snow skirmish earlier this month, we are getting closer to being there each and every day of warmer weather.

There are warm weather signs, though.

Spring training has commenced in both Florida and Arizona. No matter what Major League Baseball team you root for--or even if you aren't a baseball fan--the coming together of "The Boys of Summer" signals, without a shadow of a doubt, that not only is warm weather coming, but summer is too.

And with summer comes lighter clothing, and for guys, at least, it means the girl-watching season is in full bloom.

Leave it to the Internet to make a non-story into a leading story, but it seems Monster Beverages--yes, the energy drink company--and NASCAR--yes, the auto racing conglomeration that is so popular in some parts of this country--are in trouble with many racing fans, not because of the races they are involved with, but because of the way they are promoting these races.

In these politically correct times, what one wears seems to be a constant bone of contention, in particular what women wear and don't wear. Heck, if you want to believe the Internet, culture clashes have sprung up related to what women wear to work, on the beach, to high school proms, and just when they are caring for their families.

The latest skirmish I am referring to is that supposedly, many people are upset that NASCAR is using scantily clad models provided by Monster to promote their races.

The climax of this whole thing is that the so-called "Monster Girls" who appeared at "Clash at Daytona," a NASCAR event that was held this past Sunday, drew the uproar of so many people, and these people posted all over the Internet to spew their ire at how the women were dressed.

I have provided a photo of the women, and to me, while they certainly aren't dressed for a 9 to 5 work job, are they dressed any better--or worse--than models used by the racing community to promote their product for generations?

They used to use models in bikinis; now they use them in corsets. Why are people so upset?

Have we, as a society, gotten so PC that we can't get over the fact that this is the way racing events have been promoted for generations?

Again going with the PC link, and not to be political here, but some people claim that the only reason that there is any uproar is that Monster is using not just caucasian models to promote these events, but also women of color, which, not knowing much about NASCAR, perhaps is something new on their docket.

I don't know if that this is where all of this anger is coming from, but if it is, heck, a pretty lady is a pretty lady, whether she is white, black, yellow or purple.

Who cares?

I don't believe it is that, I just believe we have become so politically correct that we can accept a Hollywood actress at an awards show with three quarters of her chest exposed, we can accept young women going to high school in much the same attire as a free speech issue--because they are simply showing their right to bear, well bare ... you know what I mean--but we cannot accept models doing what they are being paid to do--model and promote the product--like they have done for years and years and years.

So stupid, so PC, and as usual, a tempest in a teapot.

The day I stop looking at a woman who is showing too much is the day I am in the ground.

And yes, my interest in NASCAR remains nil, but the girls are nice to look at.

Speak to you again on Monday. Have a good weekend.