SNOPES.COM


[Follow Ups] [Post Followup] [Dodge Power Wagon Forum]


Posted by MoparNorm on Thursday, April 27, 2006 at 2:36PM :

In Reply to: OT: VETS & COUNTRYMAN READ THIS! posted by jeickhof on Thursday, April 27, 2006 at 1:05PM :

Snopes sure takes the fun out of stories that you'd love to believe!
Variations:

Some versions of the account omit the opening paragraph of this anecdote (about its having been proffered by a caller to a radio show).


Some versions conclude with the line "Only in America, what a great country!"


A number of restaurants have been named in the rumor, including: Sir Scott's Oasis, Rocky Mountain Pasta Company, Land of Magic Steakhouse, Silver Dollar, Longhorn Bar & Grill.
Origins: In March 2003 this updating of the venerable Do You Know Who I Am? legend began appearing in inboxes everywhere. Although the e-mail in question appeared to surge from out of nowhere, the story about Jane Fonda and Ted Turner being refused service at a restaurant in Montana run by a Vietnam veteran dates back a number of years: In 1996 a caller to the popular radio talk show hosted by Rush Limbaugh related the tale, and some folks harbor vague recollections of having heard this story as far back as 1991 (although we've yet to locate anything in print that would serve to substantiate these memories).

Would Jane Fonda attempt to play the "Do you know who I am?" card if she weren't being seated quickly enough to suit her tastes? Though it's tempting to believe anything of the woman who will go down in infamy as Hanoi Jane, there's not much to support the story other than the tellers' desire to believe it of her. (Fonda's then-husband Ted Turner [they divorced in 2001 after ten years of marriage] does own a number of ranches, including one in Montana.) Arguing against the story's premise is what Fonda herself said in 1994:
"If you're ever in a situation where you're not getting served or you can't get what you need, just cry," she recommends. Fonda, who attended the Goodwill Games in Russia with her husband, Ted Turner, said she tried the crying game when an elevator operator in Moscow was too busy reading a letter to take her upstairs, and once again when she couldn't get served in a restaurant. Worked every time.
Specifically, the folks at Sir Scott's Oasis Steakhouse in Manhattan, Montana, where most versions of this e-mail claim the incident occurred, tell us that although Jane Fonda has indeed been in their restaurant, she simply said she had to leave when she was told how long the wait was — there were no indignant "Do you know who I am?" histrionics on Ms. Fonda's part, nor was the owner summoned to deliver a defiant "You're never eating in my restaurant!" put-down.

The question of its being fiction or reality aside, why would a story dormant for the better part of a decade resurface in March 2003? The appearance of a "celebrity gets his comeuppance" anecdote during the spring of that year was almost to be expected, what with patriotic fervor running high as America sent its troops to fight in Iraq and any number of celebrities took public stances against the war. In the minds of many, voicing objection to the war was the same as disrespecting American soldiers, perhaps because it was easier to view anti-war protesters as entirely in the wrong if they were portrayed as despising those charged with defending their right of free speech rather than as disagreeing with the military action those troops had been committed to. Either way, appreciation for U.S. troops was running high at the time, and any story featuring a self-important movie star who got slapped back into place by a serviceman was going to be welcomed warmly both because such legends take a good poke at full-of-themselves celebrities (of which there were plenty) and applauds that hero of our times, the American soldier.

Self-important celebrity tales are nothing new; they're a common way of capturing by way of a fable how society feels about particular media darlings who have earned condemnation by their insufferable acts.
Snopes.com
MN



Follow Ups:



Post a Followup

Name:
E-Mail:
Subject:
Message:
Optional Link
URL:
Title:
Optional Image Link
URL:


This board is powered by the Mr. Fong Device from Cyberarmy.com