I’m pretty sure Pfizer somehow took control of the media this past week to boost sales of Zoloft. Every headline is depressing. It just depends what shade of depressing. The sports doping scandals? Mildly depressing. Mel Gibson’s Wagnerian ranting? Weirdly depressing. The Mideast crisis? Depressing depressing. Miami Vice’s mediocre box office revenue? Well, not that depressing, actually. I’ll get over it.
There’s one other not-totally-gloomy story I’ve read in the past seven days.
It’s about a Venezuelan comedian named Benjamin Rausseo. He calls himself the “Count of Guacharo” and tells obscenity-laden jokes wearing a straw hat, shorts and flip-flops.
Also: he’s running against Hugo Chavez for president of Venezuela. (Hugo Chavez being, of course, the America-detesting leftist leader — the one Pat Robertson thought it’d be a good idea to assassinate).
The Count seems the modern equivalent of one of my favorite historical characters: Dan Rice. Dan was the 19th century’s most famous clown. He wore a top hat, a star-spangled costume and beard — and is thought to have inspired Uncle Sam’s look. He owned a tightrope-walking elephant. He was friends with Abe Lincoln. He liked to put on parodies of Shakespeare. And, in 1868, he made a serious run for the Republican nomination for president.
So that cliche about politicians being clowns? Sometimes — perhaps not often enough — it’s no metaphor.
Insane Clown Politics
I’m pretty sure Pfizer somehow took control of the media this past week to boost sales of Zoloft. Every headline is depressing. It just depends what shade of depressing. The sports doping scandals? Mildly depressing. Mel Gibson’s Wagnerian ranting? Weirdly depressing. The Mideast crisis? Depressing depressing. Miami Vice’s mediocre box office revenue? Well, not that depressing, actually. I’ll get over it.
There’s one other not-totally-gloomy story I’ve read in the past seven days.
It’s about a Venezuelan comedian named Benjamin Rausseo. He calls himself the “Count of Guacharo” and tells obscenity-laden jokes wearing a straw hat, shorts and flip-flops.
Also: he’s running against Hugo Chavez for president of Venezuela. (Hugo Chavez being, of course, the America-detesting leftist leader — the one Pat Robertson thought it’d be a good idea to assassinate).
The Count seems the modern equivalent of one of my favorite historical characters: Dan Rice. Dan was the 19th century’s most famous clown. He wore a top hat, a star-spangled costume and beard — and is thought to have inspired Uncle Sam’s look. He owned a tightrope-walking elephant. He was friends with Abe Lincoln. He liked to put on parodies of Shakespeare.
And, in 1868, he made a serious run for the Republican nomination for president.
So that cliche about politicians being clowns? Sometimes — perhaps not often enough — it’s no metaphor.