Pepsi tried to turn Kendall Jenner into some kind of civil rights icon. White House press secretary Sean Spicer majorly downplayed the Holocaust. United Airlines showed us a new way to deal with an over-booked flight situation. Hell, finals are approaching. If only there were some way to cope with the madness that is our political climate right now.
As I find myself lurking through the depths of the Internet on a daily basis, I become more and more overcome with a strange combination of anxiety-provoking emotions due to the constant saddening rollercoaster ride of a news cycle that our country seems to not be able to jump off.
Just the other day, halfway through reading yet another analysis of the most recent school shooting, I stopped. I then found myself attempting to think of anything, literally anything, to type into my search box that would offer some positivity and not be turned sour by some Internet meme connecting it to politics or current events. I then researched something (or better yet, someone) that I will never regret spending a questionably embarrassing time on the Internet finding every little detail about. Betty White.
Okay seriously, this woman is amazing. I guess I’ve always thought that, but digging deeper into her fascinating life really solidified that for me.
1. Her accomplishments blow me away. She’s received eight Emmy awards, three Screen Actors Guild awards, a Grammy and three American Comedy Awards. She’s in the Television Hall of Fame, the Hollywood Walk of Fame and even holds the record for the longest span between Emmy nominations; her first being in 1951 and her most recent being in 2011 (60 years!).
2. She’s an insanely successful animal activist. The American Veterinary Medical Association even awarded her with its Humane Award in 1987 in honor of all of her work with animals. African Wildlife Foundation, Actors & Others for Animals, the Morris Animal Foundation and the Los Angeles Zoo Commission are just a couple of the organizations she’s involved with. White even turned down a part in a successful film because it involved a scene where a dog is shoved in a chute.
To Jay Leno, she said, “of course it lands on some cushions and it’s fine, but I didn’t want to set that example, because you never know what nuts or kids will see it and think ‘I can do that.’ The director said, ‘The dog’s fine, the dog’s fine!’. But I said, ‘I just can’t do that’.” Oh but it gets better, even the U.S. Forest Service back in 2010 made her an honorary forest ranger. This woman is, as the kids say, my spirit animal.
3. She’s incredibly funny. Just google “Betty White quotes” and you’ll see. Some examples: “I may be a senior, but so what? I’m still hot,” “My only claim to fame is that I’m the only woman in the world who hasn’t slept with Tiger Woods,” “I’m a health nut. My favorite food is hot dogs with French fries. And my exercise: I have a two-story house and a very bad memory, so I’m up and down those stairs.”
To quote a tweet I once saw and spent a little too much time admiring: “Betty White was born in 1922. Sliced bread was given to us in 1926. Sliced bread is the best thing since Betty White.”
So, for a moment, let’s attempt to not think about the fact that people have posted police brutality pictures with the caption “Kendall, get him a Pepsi!” and instead appreciate the wonder that is Betty White. Give her a Google. Hell, give anyone who you admire a good search and give yourself a break from this hectic world. You can never have too much inspiration.
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