Friday, April 04, 2003

Dichotomies

Juxtaposition reveals truth. Driving in a rented car, I punch the programmed button on the radio to discover that 93.7 FM is now "The Bull". A post-commercial bumper announces, with a musical flourish, "Here comes The Bull!", followed immediately by a calm voice disclaiming "I'm Lauren Smith with ClearChannel International News. Here's the latest update on the war in Iraq."

Words mean different things to different people. A gigantic SUV ahead of me on Elm bears a bumper sticker reading "Respect America. Protect America." with the words flanked by icons of an eagle and a fighter jet. A block before we get to Plymouth, the driver's side window rolls down and a Burger King bag packed with empty hamburger boxes and soft drink cups flies out, bounces off my windshield and lands in the roadside grass

Even I can find a way to support our troops. Actual personal ad spotted today: "Ex-USMC top seeks insatiable bottom to be embedded with my unit."