Irony in Iowa
Fern: There was a saying back in the English department at Iowa State: “There is no irony in Iowa.” But actually, there’s quite a bit. And now even more in Ames, when Raygun opens a store on Main Street.
Joe: Greatest store in the universe? They sell T-shirts, right?
Fern: Iowans had been known for their decency. Their “niceness.” Progressives here are dismayed every day by what’s happening to Iowa.
Joe: It’s the same thing that is happening in all of the Republican led states. Extreme conservatives have been planning this agenda for a long time.
Fern: What’s passed recently in the Iowa legislature is more than “conservative.” It’s regressive and anti-intellectual. And many of the initiatives are down-right mean
.Joe: You think buying a T-shirt will help?
Fern: Well, it will make me feel better.
Joe: Wearing your heart—or your politics—on your sleeve certainly isn’t a new idea. Politics used to be on buttons. "I like Ike“ is one I remember from way back.
Fern: And bumper stickers! My favorite was Goldwater’s “In Your Heart You Know He’s Right,” displayed right next to LBJ’s response sticker: “In Your Guts You Know He’s Nuts.”
Joe: Boy, could that one be resurrected today!
Fern: There are fewer bumper stickers on cars today. Seems dangerous. Too many people with guns in the glove compartment. You don’t want to be a driving billboard to attract the crazies.
Joe: When my dad came to America the first time, back around the turn of the 20th century, he literally did become a walking billboard. One of his first jobs was to walk the downtown sidewalks wearing a sandwich sign that advertised Red Devil potted meats. His first nickname in America was The Red Devil.
Fern: Wearing a sign is different from carrying a sign. It is a more intimate endorsement.
Joe: I don’t think I’ve never owned a T-shirt that advertised anything, political, commercial, or comical. It just feels wrong.
Fern: That’s because it feels like a form of branding?
Joe: Branding is something that Trump was very good at.
Fern: Really? Trump steaks? Trump vodka? Trump University?
Joe: But you have to admit, the MAGA hats were pretty much a stroke of genius.
Fern: I’ve only seen a handful of people in Iowa who actually wore a MAGA hat in public. I didn’t say anything to them.
Joe: Good for you!
Fern: I had a male student years ago who came to a class with a T-shirt that said: Drink ‘til She’s Pretty.
Joe: And you told him not to wear that shirt to class again.
Fern: Well, I suggested it. Strongly. I said that it was inadvisable to upset the person who was giving you a grade . . .
Joe: I remember the discussion we had with the kids at the dinner table that night. The girls were in high school. They pretty much lobbied for your student’s right to wear it. They also thought it was against your own values. You being such a free speech advocate.
Fern: But that shirt sent such a dangerous message to young women. I mean, I feel revulsion at those stupid MAGA hats. But if I were still teaching, I wouldn’t say anything or try to stop some one from wearing a MAGA hat in my class.
Joe: You might.
Fern: Yeah, I might.
Joe: The road to free – really free – speech, has a lot of bumps.
Fern: I know. But book banning? Really – Republican legislatures are banning books?
Joe: Yeah. They are.
Fern: At the Iowa Governor’s Scholar program, honoring high school students for outstanding achievements, one kid wore a Raygun shirt. Reynolds was shaking hands before giving each student a certificate and posing for pictures. Best example of resting-bitch-face that I’ve ever seen.
Joe: It’s one thing to wear your heart on your sleeve. Another to wear your politics on your chest. Isn’t there something that makes you uncomfortable by signifying who you are all the time?
Fern: Maybe. But still . . .
Irony in Iowa
Love this! Resting bitch face? Genius!!
Love ALL those shorts! Hope your column is read far and wide!