Ignorance is Decisive

 

More Fun?

 I heard the phrase today: “More fun than a barrel of monkeys!”  My immediate thought was that a barrel of monkeys probably wouldn’t be much fun. I get a mental vision of a barrel of primates screaming, clawing and throwing excrement at each other.  Kind of a monkey version of Facebook. 

So it got me thinking. Where did this idea start? What moron thought it would be fun? There was a game when I was a young lad called Barrel of Monkeys. Was that the origin of the phrase? My recollection is that game wasn’t that much fun. 

It appears the phrase was intended to be sarcastic or ironic.  It first appeared in the 1840’s referring to a cage of monkeys  anyone  who has been to the zoo knows how much fun those monkeys are having. It seems from my observation their days are spent screaming, throwing shit and masturbating.  By the 1890’s the phrase had morphed to a wagon load of monkeys.  So wagon load, cage, or barrel a group of primates doesn’t seem like a good idea to me. 

So maybe play the game developed in 1966 or spend some time on Facebook. 

Who Cares???

 Today William Shatner (AKA Captain James T. Kirk) rode Jeff Bezos giant phallus to space. 

It seems a huge ploy by Bezos to garner publicity for his space tourist program. I’ll stick with what I said before and will say every time this happens. When Jeff Bezos can afford to have his own giant dick shaped rocket launched into space he can afford to pay substantially more in taxes than he does now. 

It’s a Bird! It’s a Plane! It’s Superman!?!

 

This is from the Washington Post. My initial reaction was wrong. My first thought was that I wasn’t ready for this change. I reacted to the headline and the picture without reading the article. Reading the article and thinking about the change in Superman helped me see how and why I was wrong. I needed to put myself in someone else’s shoes. Kids, oh hell even adults, need a hero who represents them. Jon Kent is the son of Clark Kent and Lois Lane. So those who feel this is a bridge too far still have their “straight” Superman. Those in the LGBTQ community have a representative who still fights for “ truth, justice and the American way” just live the TV lead in claimed.  I know it isn’t popular at the moment but I think America is always at its best when it is inclusive. A bisexual Superman does not, as some will certainly claim, indicate a moral decline in American. It points toward us realizing that your sexuality is a part of who your are not the entirety of your existence. You can still be a hero. In this case a superhero. You can be a great son. A fighter for social justice. An advocate for a clean and healthy environment for everyone. So, bisexual Superman- I’m good with that. 

History is Everywhere

 Last week we took a trip about an hour south to Jacksonville, Illinois. My wife’s goal was to visit a couple of quilt stores. My goal was to find something interesting to see. I think on this trip we both did very well. Recently there has been a move down south to remove memorials to Confederate officials. Living in the north and especially Illinois (Land of Lincoln) the Civil War monuments here celebrate the service and sacrifice of soldiers. Jacksonville is no exception. 

It was a great park to walk around surrounded by businesses that appear to have made up the old downtown. There is a nice mix of businesses in walking distance. If the ladies at the quilt store are any indication Midwest hospitality lives. 

I found the monument a wonderful tribute to the service and sacrifice of local volunteers who helped save the union. A short walk away was a reminder of Lincoln’s work to abolish slavery. 

Finally, in a corner of the park away from the memorial was a weapon from the war. It is fitting to have it present to remind us of the horrors of war these volunteers faced.