Sample Reality

I’ve been meaning to blog this for a while, and the end of the year seems like a good time to clear out a backlog of mentionable links. This brilliant Schoolhouse Rock spoof called Pirates & Emperors got a lot of attention in the blogsphere when it came out in October, but it’s so on the mark that I think it’s worth resurfacing the link now.

The cartoon highlights the fact that the U.S. goverment routinely aids and abets “vicious, low-down thugs” who try to “to overthrow the government by attacking undefended civilian targets like schools, farms, hospitals, & outreach centers.” In Nicaragua we called these thugs “Freedom Fighters.” In Afghanistan in the eighties this was the Taliban.

One country’s idea of freedom is another country’s idea of terrorism…

Recently I was stuck in a slow-moving checkout line in Lowe’s. To pass the time I began reading—and finished—five different Bob the Builder books, which were in the rack next to the register. I had never really paid much attention to the phenomenon, but I knew my toddler nephews were huge Bob fans.

After reading all the books, I realized that, without a doubt, Bob the Builder is gay. Sure, he has that sexy business partner, Wendy, but I think it’s safe to say that their relationship is strictly platonic. There’s not even a hint of electricity between the two of them. And how many big strong construction workers have a pet cat—one that’s named Pilchard? One of the books shows Bob relaxing at home after a hard day on the job, in a neat little bungalow, sipping tea. Very butch, indeed. Actually, with that flannel shirt and all those tools, very Village People.

After poking around online I discovered that I’m not the only one who’s made this connection. Ananova reports that in Britain (Bob’s home country) Bob has become a gay icon.

No news reports of that happening in the U.S. yet…