Monday, February 21, 2011

New Question


Was the last post politically neutral?

My wife says, "absolutely not." She seemed shocked when I pointed out that I did not note--not at all--who boobman might have supported.

"But you DID!" she said.

"Didn't."

"Did!"

"Didn't!"

And it went on like this for quite a surprising amount of time; it began to resemble the Monty Python "Argument Clinic" skit.

Finally I said, "No, YOU read the politics into it, thus confirming my only implicit point--that culture reveals politics. But I nowhere suggested how plastic-boob guy voted. Your sureness that I did simply reveals the obvious--not about me but about him."

And she concluded, "Sure. You didn't say it. Just as Fox and Glenn Beck don't *say* that Obama hates America or that he is a Muslim or was born in Africa or whatever. But they imply it, and you hate their ridiculous stance of plausible deniability. And I'm just saying you did the same. Which is fine with me. I don't care. I like what you wrote. But you should be honest with yourself about it."

So reader, Am I right or what???

.....I ask, perfectly neutrally.

9 comments:

Elisheba said...

Yes. Then again, maybe no.

Susan Hasbrouck said...

But TK, Fox and Beck DO say straight up that Obama hates America. I'd say that boobman's treatment falls more under the Jon Stewart rubric of allowing people's words and actions to speak for themselves. It is true that he didn't post a photo of a bumper full of REI, IPA, CSA, and PETA stickers, but I'm sure if he did, we'd still be left to guess. :)

timekeeper said...

I think timekeeper is 100% right.

Andy D. said...

Three cheers for boobman!!

And for the guy in the ortho office!

A.

Andy D. said...

Wait - who is boobman again?

A.

Claudia from Idiot's Kitchen said...

NICE photo!

Technoprairie said...

What I want to know is - did you take this lovely fruit picture (which is now spoiled for me by the way) before or after the colorful Alabamian truck picture? Or did you go rummaging throughout the Walmart supermegamart looking for just the right fruit?

ps. my word is unfes - the opposite of confess or maybe the taking back of a confession? I think I like the second definition better.

Andy D. said...

Yeah, nice photo, melonman.

Mike Bailey said...

Claudia: As always, glad you're on the blog.

Technoprairie: I originally looked for photos that were "neutral." However, I didn't know what to look for. For some reason I kept searching for vertical and symmetrical photos. But I figured no one (myself included) would understand how such a photo would suggest neutrality. Then by accident I came across this photo, which I cropped. And (sigh of great shame) I also digitally "enhanced" it. (Note how the bricks at the bottom of the photo are larger than the ones at the top.) Believe me, it was originally a lovely photo. After I posted this, I told Juli, "I don't even understand what this means!" But it made me smile, and as you know that's warrant enough for me to do...well, to do far too much.