Well, I went to check my traffic statistics. As always, the search phrases for May are amusing. They include the following:
“prohibition era violin cases smuggling liquor”
Actually, I thought prohibition-era violin cases were for smuggling Thompson submachine guns. It probably hit my St. Valentine’s Day post of about a year ago when I suggested that it should be celebrated primarily as the anniversary of the eponymous massacre.
“are you free in the sense of being single or in the sense of being liberated?”
This surprisingly deep and probing question paraphrases part of my conversation with God.
“i keep getting random long lasting erections”
This probably matched my parody disclaimer. Um, and I don’t know what to advise. Except masturbating more often.
“unbifurcated garments”
Hooray! One of my favorite topics!
“why is it acceptable for women to wear pant but not for men to wear skirt”
Good question.
From April:
“cadbury eggs disgusting”
No! Cadbury eggs awesome!
“how to annoy a neighbor”
BY LEAVING YOUR ALARM CLOCK RUNNING FOR 30 MINUTES CONTINUOUSLY!
“become a gay prostitute”
I don’t know anything about that. But I do know that one way of getting out of blood donation is ” have sex with a gay prostitute from Nigeria since 1977 while high on intravenous drugs… while you were spending a cumulative total of three months or more in the United Kingdom (U.K.) between 1980, and 1996, while eating exclusively mechanically separated beef”.
“how much does the u.s. pay cuba for guantanamo bay”
2,000 gold coins a year.
“ticketmaster in the process of being printed”
As Mike Klein said, “that must be one fucking slow printer”.
The hidden symbolism of road signs
Friday, January 25th, 2008Many motorists view road signs as simply traffic control devices intended to maintain safety and provide information, but in reality, they contain many hidden double and triple meanings, serving to uphold and represent the predominant white-male heteronormative patriarchy. Examples?
This sign is a prototypical example of masculine sexual power. The wedge shape suggests a purpose of splitting or opening (perhaps with a hammer), as a border of red (symbolic of danger) threateningly surrounds a field of white (symbolic of innocent, virginal womanhood, this symbolism itself rife with racial subtext), with the simple, monosyllabic command to “yield” a mere emphasis of the command. Such sexually-charged displays of dominance demand the (male) driver play the part of the woman, yielding obediently to cross traffic just as a woman is expected to yield obediently to her husband/rapist.
Interestingly, there is a feminine counterpart to the yield sign:
Yellow, symbolic of caution but less directly associated with danger than red, draws the viewer’s eye to the iconic car (a known phallic symbol) treacherously traversing an extremely curved path. The sign’s denotation, “slippery when wet”, simply serves as an encouraging double entendre; while supposedly a caution sign, this sign invites the driver to play the part of the man, boldly traversing the slippery curves ahead, the yellow background symbolizing the accused cowardice he would surely be guilty of were he to not proceed. The overall effect is to portray the woman as a “dangerous” thrill ride presenting herself for male enjoyment: the prostitute.In these two signs alone we have two vastly contradictory portrayals of womanhood, both of which emphasize “traditional” gender roles and male dominance. The virgin bride of the “yield” sign is portrayed as innocent, her virtue in danger from, yet ultimately submitting to, the dominant male. The whore of the “slippery when wet” sign is beckoning and inviting, dangerous, infinitely more interesting but ultimately submissive as well.
The political subtext behind this sign is obvious.
Tags: feminism, parody, postmodernism, road signs, symbolism, women
Posted in Commentary, Humor | 4 Comments »