The Twinkie Defense

I've heard it said that Americans care more about the fact that Hostess stopped making Twinkies (and everything else) then they did about all the violence in Israel.

I don't see how any of us cannot be aware of all that's going on in Israel, considering that every time we turn on the radio or TV.... There it is. It's terrible, it's tragic, and to many of us, it's unbelievably scary.

I don't think it's any mystery that so many seem to be panicking and don't know where to turn. As a result, I think many of us need a reason to be distracted. World famous Twinkie defense to the rescue! Come on, I mean who doesn't remember growing up eating those spongy, golden, cream-filled delights? They were originally created in 1930', during the Great Depresson, and were filled with banana cream. Just a little snack cake, inexpensive and soooo good in your mouth (aren't they)? A little piece of Heaven in a shiny wrapper (at least, they have been as long as I've been alive). Perfect. An escape... A release... and what an awesome name! The way it just kinda makes you smile when ya say it. Apparently, the name was taken from a billboard that said "Twinkle Toes.". Well folks, it doesn't get happier than that. Let's face it, Twinkies remind us of when we were kids! There are tons of nostalgia attached to those golden, spongy, cream-filled delights. (I just love to say that, don't you?). So, when faced with the possibility that these could be gone forever, we thought, if nothing else, we can rush to the store and grab what's left on the shelves, or look up a recipe to make our own.

This isn't much, but it's tangible, it's manageable, it's been a little something we could all do to try to keep the happiness alive. We could post pictures all over Facebook and Twitter, and people were happy to see them. It's a far cry from bloody bodies and bombs going off and distraught people running and screaming in the streets. Let's face it...it's awful beyond comprehension...so must of us are just glad we can't comprehend it. What do we possibly do about THAT??? Now please don't think I mean anything unkind here. It's just that being disappointed about Twinkis seems much more welcoming than worrying about bombs in Israel, or recession, or depression, or losing all we have in a disaster. The Twinkie, I think, represents just a few bites of welcomed relief in the middle of awful chaos. So, if we could run to the store and buy a box or a package, maybe we just wanted to keep the relief effort going.