Idle Minutes

In the good old U.S.A. (and probably in most other industrial nations as well) you can find a lot of irony, humor and sadness tied up in what you see on the streets each day.

Now, this is an imaginary character holding this sign.  I made him up.  I was asked to produce a sketch of someone holding a sign with “Street Fair” on it. 

The first thing that popped into my head was a homeless person because I see them all the time holding signs that say lots of different things…usually “help” is one of them.

I thought “nah, this lady wants a cheery clown or something like that holding the sign.  It’s a street fair for cryin’ out loud.”

But the more I pondered it, the more I realized the messages that could be sent by such a sketch:

One is humor.  Let’s imagine he was hired to stand out on the main street with his sign to advertise the happy, fun street fair going on behind him.  This guy probably made fifty or so tax-free Benjamins doing that!  Not bad for a few hours work.  Perhaps he made enough to buy a few decent meals (and whatever else these guys buy).  He was no doubt happy to oblige.  He was just standing around anyway eh?  Most certainly, he got the sought after attention for the street fair.  So the organisers were happy too.  Only in America!

Another is sadness.  As hardened as we all are to tragedy…after all we’re slammed with it in the media day in and day out…this sort of sketch makes one realize how bad it can get if we don’t keep our eyes and ears on the straight and narrow.  The sad part being that once you’re there, you pretty much face it alone or with others in the same boat.  It’s a sad way to end up.

And finally there is irony.  Check out that hat.  It’s a Chevy hat.  I had one like it in the 70’s.  Red button on top, white body, blue Chevy logo, and a blue bill.  It was really cool in the 70’s.  And I was cool because I wore it. 

Now of course, it’s quite tacky.  I wouldn’t be caught dead in it.  But this guy would because he needs to protect his head from the heat.  He probably found it in a dumpster.  He’s not much concerned with what’s cool unless it keeps his head cool. 

The irony?  It’s ironic that in a prosperous nation, where Chevys, hot dogs, and apple pie are symbolic of happiness, friends and the fun of the open road…people somehow still end up homeless and surviving with pretty much nothing. 

And of course it’s ironic that there’s a lot of money changing hands at the street fair this fellow is advertising for.  No doubt, in twenty years, most of what is bought there will be considered tacky and end up in a dumpster too.  This chap will be long gone by then.  But there will be another one just like him to find a circa 2006 tacky hat, bought at the street fair, to keep his head cool in the hot summer of 2026.