"Two Democrats on an escalator" (with thanks to blogfriend boymoto), a perfect metaphor for the nanny-state mentality. (Videomaker unknown)
You're riding up an escalator when suddenly it stops, stranding you between floors. What do you do? Probably curse a little under your breath, then shift mental gears, climb the rest of the way to the top and go on about your business. But what if you had been conditioned by years of nanny-statism into a default mode of helplessness? From the video:
He: There are two people stuck on an escalator, and we need help now. Now would somebody please do something!?
She: HELP!
It never occurs to them to pick themselves up by their bootstraps and be on their way. Instead they remain stuck in place, waiting for the powers be that be to come rescue them.
This reminds me of a 'dumb polack' joke I heard as a kid (that, interestingly enough, I heard translated into both Dutch and French vis a vis the Belgians, and from a Swedish friend against the Danish - am 1/2 Danish, so is okay to repeat.)
Rumor has it that, at Porter Square, there was an emergency on the up escalator: People were stranded for hours.
Posted by: Be | October 04, 2008 at 07:12 PM
Such fun...
Cackle Cackle !
Posted by: hnav | October 05, 2008 at 01:28 PM
Barack Obama's campaign found it amusing that Senator McCain is unable to type (due to injuries suffered as a POW - but hey, why should good taste and compassion stop them from making a good joke, right).
However, Senator Obama cannot land a jet fighter on the deck of an airplane at night - in the rain!
Touche!
Posted by: Gayle Miller | October 08, 2008 at 03:15 PM