Much of the news lately has been about the death of Michael Jackson. I'm not going to either slander him or praise him.
Much has been made that he was 50 (Really? Who would have thought?), and that there were many strange incidents in his life. Most people are ending on what they they think is an ironic tone, that it is too bad that the death happened now, when he was about to embark on a large tour that would have been his return to somewhat normality. They point out that he was still popular, in that the tour consisted of fifty sold-out concerts.
His death, before they even started, is sure to make those tickets valuable pieces of memorabilia. Except for one final irony: there are fifty sold-out concerts of them! What should have been a rare, valuable thing is now only mildly interesting.
Friday, June 26, 2009
Friday, June 5, 2009
The Poison Flesh
This week a coffee shop was burned down in Maine. The police have confirmed that it was artificially started, and report that passers-by seem pleased that the shop was destroyed.
What did the shop do that was so heinous? It was topless.
It offered both men and women delivering your coffee without a shirt. Keep in mind that shlepping hot coffee around without a shirt is bold, and you have to be dextrous to avoid a nasty burn. I'm sure that these women were hard-working, and happy to have a job in this economy. Yet the place was burned.
Why is female flesh such an affront to some people? Interestingly, it is often other women that get riled up. Is it mere jealousy? Is it fear that their men are so uncontrollable that a shirt that hangs a little too low will bring out their inner troglodyte?
What happens to young girls that are told that they should be hidden away, concealed, unfit for view, an unacceptable topic in polite conversation? I can see two options. She may struggle ever harder to reach that impossible goal, driving herself into anorexia or other disorders. Or she may act provocatively in an effort to gain approval from strangers that she wasn't getting at home.
Is it a straight line between these two actions? No, probably not.
But I see nothing but good (including lower rates of abortions and teen pregnancy) if we admit that people have bodies.
What did the shop do that was so heinous? It was topless.
It offered both men and women delivering your coffee without a shirt. Keep in mind that shlepping hot coffee around without a shirt is bold, and you have to be dextrous to avoid a nasty burn. I'm sure that these women were hard-working, and happy to have a job in this economy. Yet the place was burned.
Why is female flesh such an affront to some people? Interestingly, it is often other women that get riled up. Is it mere jealousy? Is it fear that their men are so uncontrollable that a shirt that hangs a little too low will bring out their inner troglodyte?
What happens to young girls that are told that they should be hidden away, concealed, unfit for view, an unacceptable topic in polite conversation? I can see two options. She may struggle ever harder to reach that impossible goal, driving herself into anorexia or other disorders. Or she may act provocatively in an effort to gain approval from strangers that she wasn't getting at home.
Is it a straight line between these two actions? No, probably not.
But I see nothing but good (including lower rates of abortions and teen pregnancy) if we admit that people have bodies.
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