Falling out of coconut trees

There is a resurgence in the US of a phenomenon called KHive, and suddenly, coconut trees are in vogue, from New York (where there are probably no such trees) to California and beyond.

It’s the buzz over Kamala Harris, which has exploded since Joe Biden declared he was no longer pursuing his reelection bid and endorsed his vice president as the Democratic Party’s bet against Donald Trump who, with his running mate JD Vance (said to be “worse than Trump,” whatever that implies), was quick to bash Harris, calling her a “bum” and “easier to beat” than Biden.

With KHive – the fandom around Kamala Harris – gaining quick momentum, volunteers signing up and money rolling in from donors big and small ($300 million raised in the first week of the campaign), there is a renewed air of excitement, commitment and hope not just among Democrats but the general public, especially – not surprising – among women.

An article by Madison Malone Kircher in The New York Times about the KHive caught my attention. It started: “‘You think you just fell out of a coconut tree?’ Vice President Kamala Harris said last year at a White House event, chuckling as she quoted her mother. ‘You exist in the context of all in which you live and what came before you.’” Wise words.

Some people started putting coconut and palm tree icons on their social media accounts. Of course, we here in this part of the world know all about coconut trees and even perhaps falling – or not falling – out of them. Our Mang Gorio used to climb the coconut trees in our compound on San Rafael street with his trusty – and rusty – bolo sheathed on a rope around his waist, and he never ever fell.

This caught my attention because we have a similar saying in Hokkien, although we are not specific about the kind of tree one falls out of. It implies a sense of cluelessness, of not knowing the heads or tails of an issue or of utter gullibility. We had a friend who was so naive she could not imagine anyone deliberately lying to her – even in jest – and when she’d react with utter surprise we always asked her which tree she just fell out of (it has a lot more punch when said in Hokkien).

While the momentum has certainly built up, it’s still a long road for Kamala Harris to the White House, an uphill climb for sure to the polls in November – and of course, that confounding Electoral College process. We still have to hear what her policies will be about our side of the Pacific Ocean, among a host of global issues – all urgent – that will confront the American president in the next four years.

But personally, I think someone who has roots in and draws wisdom from her varied heritage, a staunch supporter of anti-corruption (“we will root out corruption wherever it exists,” she has said), who can talk about adobo and the South China Sea in one sitting, is certainly preferable to those who regard immigrants as “animals” and who deride “childless cat ladies” (“I’ve got nothing against cats” was the clarification). Put those two guys up the tree, and please, make sure they stay there.