So, I'm a Loser (Or 1992 Revisited)

For a moment . . . I want you to think back with me to the last time that you saw the "loser" sign (i.e. "her finger and thumb in the shape of an 'L' on her forehead" - not necessarily on the forehead . . . but at least the finger and thumb part).

So when was it? 1997? High-School? 90210 re-runs?

Mine was yesterday.

Kristy and I were heading home after church. There's a traffic light at the intersection of Marsh Road (where the church is) and South Boulevard, and immediately to the right is a small strip mall. So the light is Red and I'm getting pretty close to it. There's a grey Honda CRV coming across the parking lot of the mall looing to get out on Marsh Road. At this point I'm not thinking anything weird . . . my intentions are to go up to the stop line on the road and stop . . . because that's what you do at a stop light.

Now the chick in the CRV is obviously thinking something different. As I'm getting closer and closer to the light, she decides to start nosing out in front of me. Now I'm thinking, "What are you doing?" and "You can't go anywhere because the light is red."

And, of course, I hadn't anticipated her nose sticking out in the road so I didn't alter my speed to compensate. Long story short, I didn't let her out in front of me. Not that I was mean. She just didn't give me enough notice that she wanted to get out.

So as I pass she waves her arms in disgust at me, I notice from the corner of my eye. She pulls out behind me, and I look back just in time to see her give me the "L" . . . I mean THE "L".

The LOSER sign . . . what is that? Are you stuck in the 90s?

That's just incredible to me. I mean if you're ticked off that I didn't give you the privilege of getting to the red light before me, give me the finger or something . . . but the loser sign . . . what the . . . ? It just made me laugh. It made me WANT to not let people out to see what other signs I'd get.

Then I got thinking . . . how did all these hand gestures become offensive. People are weird, man. Like what is it, and WHY is it that brushing your chin, towards someone, is a bad thing. Or your middle finger . . . that's just hilarious to me.

A guy gets "flipped the bird" a hundred years ago . . . and says "WHAT . . . I WOULD'VE TAKEN ANY FINGER BUT NOT THAT MIDDLE ONE. YOU'RE INDEX FINGER? FINE. YOUR PINKY? I'M INDIFFERENT TO THAT PARTICULAR FINGER. BUT YOUR MIDDLE FINGER! THAT'S JUST . . . THAT'S . . . I'M BEATIN' YOU DOWN PUNK!"

How in the world did a simple finger become SO freakin' hilariously offensive . . . to the point that the FCC censors it out on television shows? It cracks me up. But I think about stuff like that a lot. Like a lot of the offensive words that we consider offensive . . . like why is saying 'crap' acceptable but not another word that means the same thing?

Anyway . . . as you can see sometimes my brain functions on a pretty shallow level!

Grace.