Dr. Feelgood
intellectual nerd
A little while back we had a thread about "things everybody else likes that you don't." It was a great thread, but I left it feeling that I still didn't understand why people like some of this stuff. So what I'd like to do is start a thread in which those who are, like me, perplexed, can write about the things that seem so dull, flat, and stale that you can't imagine anyone liking them -- but people do! And maybe some people who like these things can say what it is that appeals to them, and we can all get a little insight. And then we can form a circle and sing 'Kumbayah.'
Anyway, here's a start:
1. Clowns. I'm not talking about clowning here: I have a friend who is a clown (Seriously! If that makes sense), and he works out terrific routines involving juggling, acrobatics, riding a unicycle: he's poetry in motion! What I'm talking about are people who put on whiteface, a red nose, big shoes, and basically mooch around and don't do much. Why are they supposed to be charming? Every Halloween the women who work in the Bursar's Office dress up like clowns for the day. Why?
2. Amusement parks. These were great fun when I was ten. Part of this was probably because, when you're ten, someone else is usually paying for it. But from the number of this summer's will-I-fit threads I surmise that a whole lot of people are planning to travel halfway across the country at considerable expense to buy costly tickets that will allow them to stand in line for a long time in order to spend more money. And their reward for all this will be to be spun around or bounced up and down for a couple of minutes. Why is this fun?
3. NASCAR racing. They go round and round the track. And round and round. And ... Once you've seen the first lap, you've pretty much seen everything you're going to see. Or do people go in hopes of seeing a fatal crash?
Okay. That's some of what I don't understand. If anybody can explain, please do. Or if you have imponderables of your own, let's talk about it.
Anyway, here's a start:
1. Clowns. I'm not talking about clowning here: I have a friend who is a clown (Seriously! If that makes sense
), and he works out terrific routines involving juggling, acrobatics, riding a unicycle: he's poetry in motion! What I'm talking about are people who put on whiteface, a red nose, big shoes, and basically mooch around and don't do much. Why are they supposed to be charming? Every Halloween the women who work in the Bursar's Office dress up like clowns for the day. Why?2. Amusement parks. These were great fun when I was ten. Part of this was probably because, when you're ten, someone else is usually paying for it. But from the number of this summer's will-I-fit threads I surmise that a whole lot of people are planning to travel halfway across the country at considerable expense to buy costly tickets that will allow them to stand in line for a long time in order to spend more money. And their reward for all this will be to be spun around or bounced up and down for a couple of minutes. Why is this fun?
3. NASCAR racing. They go round and round the track. And round and round. And ... Once you've seen the first lap, you've pretty much seen everything you're going to see. Or do people go in hopes of seeing a fatal crash?
Okay. That's some of what I don't understand. If anybody can explain, please do. Or if you have imponderables of your own, let's talk about it.
