I live next to an enclave of … uhhh, the best way to describe it is that the neighboring community, Winter Garden, Florida, is “ethnically Confederate.” The vast majority of that town’s residents are working class white Southerners who work in the building and mechanical trades.
One thing that you see everywhere in WG that you don’t see much of elsewhere in the Orlando area is … well, the visible beatification of Dale Earnhardt. Hundreds of cars and trucks have the number “3” pasted in the back window; some have more elaborate shrines. Some have painted “3” on their garage doors. A store in that town sells black golf carts with the “3” prominently displayed. More people are wearing Earnhardt clothing and caps, and I’ve seen “3” tatooed on the arms of some Winter Gardeners.
As the infamous crash in Daytona recedes farther in the past, it seems like the amount of Dale worship is increasing. Has anyone else noticed this phenomenon elsewhere? In 20 years, will Dale Earnhardt be thought of in a similar light that position that Elvis is now … that of kitsch/camp among hipsters, and of near deityhood among … uhhh … working class white Southerners?
It’s the damndest thing, isn’t it? I saw where a statue of Earnhardt was dedicated the other day. (I forget where.)
I keep wanting to scream at people, *“He did not raise the dead, for pity’s sake! He did not feed the hungry or clothe the naked! He drove a freaking car!”
But hey, we have freedom of religion in this country, I suppose.
Earnhardt’s legend won’t approach Elvis’s for the simple reason that he was never popular enough.
Elvis’s popularity seems to be higher in the South (arguably) than elsewhere, but the man was popular EVERYWHERE. He is literally an international icon.
Dale Earnhardy was largely unknown outside his own sport. Everyone knows who Elvis Presley is. Most people don’t know who Dale Earnhardt is.
Not too far from here, folks have been making a pilgrimage to a farm where some mule with a marking that looks like “3” on its side was born. It’s the Southern equivalent of the silhouette of the Virgin Mary appearing in a tortilla shell in Las Cruces, New Mexico … it really is turning into a religion.
I’ve even heard folks justify Dale worship by comparing it to the Trinity. “Three … father, son and track.”
I wonder if you can get velvet Dale paintings in Juarez now …
That would have been Kannapolis, NC, birthplace of Dayul. “He’s done great things for this town!” they cry. “Turkey feathers!” I reply. “He’s done nothing for you except be born there and receive his edumincation at your institutions of learning, such as they are. Cannon/Fieldcrest/Whoever Owns It Now Mills has done the most for you and it’s going down and taking the whole town with it. Kannapolis is A HOLE, a mere rest stop on the way to Charlotte.”
No, I don’t live in Kannapolis, but I live too close to it for my tastes.
Hell, you can get them on the streets of Nashville, TN! (No, I’m not going to be providing any pics!) I imagine that if you searched eBay you could find some as well. I know that I’ve seen Earnhardt’s image etched into a silicon wafer for sale on eBay!
What irks me are the folks that have 9/11 memorials on their trucks along with Earnhardt memorials! Hello??? What’s wrong with this picture? What’d Earnhardt do that was so spectacular? He drove a car in a circle for hours on end! So what if it was at 200+ MPH, that kind of pales in comparison to running into a tall building that a plane crashed into!
And, I might note, drove it into the wall while not wearing a device that could have saved his life because he was too much of a manly man to wear it. The poster child for stupid machismo.
What baffles me about ‘Earnhardt worship’ is the tone it takes.
Foreigners arriving now in America must think the guy was a pious religious figure, someone who’d make Mother Theresa look mean.
It must be confusing when they learn that he was known as ‘The Intimidator’, and flipped people off as he passed them on the track.
A buddy and I were toying with the idea of starting a church called “First Church of Christ, Intimidator”. The bumper stickers would read, "Dale, Intimidating the Angels’.
Think we’d get converts? If so, how much should we charge them?
You have to understand where the people who “worship” him are coming from. A lot of these folks are poorly educated, have a small idea of what the world is, and view racing as life…because that is all you have to look forward to in a small town.
It’s no different than the ghetto neighourhoods (or better in some cases) glorifying the likes of Tupac Shakur, or Biggy Smalls. [sub]snort[/sub]
Shortly after the “tragic” accident (why is it tragic when his own proclivity for driving at dangerous speeds led to it?), my former company was interviewing for telesales (I was in production–I did not telemarket, so please don’t flame me), and as I stepped out for a smoke, saw the guy had shoe-polished the number 3 on his hood, his trunk, both doors, and all of the windows. That car ain’t going to be worth much for a trade-in.
I am a NASCAR fan and a Earnhardt fan. When he died I was very upset. He was one of the best drivers ever.
If you don’t like NASCAR or Dale, hey, that’s your option. At the same time the public makes stars out of all kinds of people. Remeber when Princess Di got killed? She had all kinds of tributes but all she did was marry a Prince. At least Dale earned his place.
Dale grew up poor, worked his way up and became one of the best drivers ever. He earned his life. For many people, including me, that is a very worthy accomplishment. (I am not a white trash trailer person, BTW)
If you you don’t like it, well, here’s a hammer, a pile of sand and I think you can find your own ass. So go at it.
Earnhardt was the principle contributor to the Carolina Foundation, a diverse charity organization that concentrates on urgent local community needs, longterm charitable grants, and a variety of scholarship programs.
I find it curious that the appellation “best driver” is being applied to a guy who killed himself driving.
Anyway, that’s neither here nor there. The hero worship for him is flat-out weird; I can’t think of any other athlete who would garner such near-religious worship if they croaked, but it’s not as if Earnhardt was the flat-out biggest sports star in the world, so why him?
I’va already explained why this phenoma has happened in some areas.
You and several other people find it ridiculous…Hey that’s cool.
But why keep spouting off about it? If this is how some people care to remember him, it’s fine with me. Does this somehow offend or hurt you in any way, shape, or form?
I don’t want to sound too cynical, but it is not unknown for wealthy individuals to set up charitable trusts (which then employ that individual’s relatives/friends at inflated salaries) as a way of avoiding estate taxes. I’ll withhold judgment on this particular charity until I know more.
