sophie's fair

Bugs Bunny & Sir Loin (c) Warner Bros

"Arise! Sir Loin of Beef! *whack* Arise! Duke of Ellington! *whack* Arise! Earl of Cloves! *whack* Milk of Magnesia! *whack* Quarter of Ten!" - Rabbithood, Looney Tunes 1949

rabbithood is a real classic, bugs is pretending to be the king and beats the stuffing out of the sheriff by "knighting" him up a treat, whacking him good for each new title... how many of us are dying to beat the crap out of some conceited, self-important jackass whose narcissism puts everyone to sleep? there's only one person who can get away with it and he only acts his role... watching the lovable, pretentious [snob] frasier crane turn his nose up at anything or anybody that isnt in his class brought roars of laughter from his fans. together with his equally lovable, overbearing brother niles, seattle is turned upside down by their pompous ways. but as i said, it's only an act. in real life, insincerity has become a nasty disease. some people brag about their humble beginnings which makes the rest of us think, "are they for real??". others mouth their pedigrees, and the rest we dont even know why they show off as there is nothing to flaunt.

"I cannot describe the mysteries of freemasonry, although I have a shrewd idea that it is a humbug." - WM Thackeray

why do some people feel the need to belong in a circle? why's there a leader in every group who consider one another as "bestfriends"? correct me if i'm wrong, but friendship isnt about hierarchy, is it? exclusiveness only drives out potential friends. as thackeray put it, "vanity fair is a wicked, foolish place, full of all sorts of humbugs and falsenesses and pretensions" -- i say bravo to him who defined it accurately. usually, the beautiful are accused of being supercilious. but what about the not so goodlooking wannabes? they are as guilty of egotism... maybe even more.

"Vanity Fair—Vanity Fair! Here was a man who could not spell, and did not care to read—who had the habits and the cunning of a boor; whose aim in life was pettifogging; who never had a taste, or emotion, or enjoyment, but what was sordid and foul; and yet he had rank, and honors, and power, somehow; and was a dignitary of the land, and a pillar of the state. He was high sheriff, and rode in a golden coach. Great ministers and statesmen courted him; and in Vanity Fair he had a higher place than the most brilliant genius or spotless virtue."
-of Sir Pitt, WM Thackeray

each of us plays a part in vanity fair. the question is, when do we finally shut up about our worth? now that is a point to ponder.

did you know...
king james I was so taken by a tasty loin of beef he was eating at Houghton Tower (a 16th century castle in Lancashire, England) that he drew his sword and knighted it, creating sirloin of beef .