Tuesday, December 20, 2005
The Clown Is Real
A man dressed as a clown gestures as Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's bodyguards survey the scene outside the Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital in Jerusalem December 20, 2005. Sharon left hospital on Tuesday after being treated for a mild stroke, saying he planned to return to work soon. REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun
If you look at the picture and let Reuters' psychological conditioning take over, you will probably assume one of the following things:
- The man dressed as a clown is a demonstrator protesting Ariel Sharon's ridiculous policies.
- He is a symbolic stand-in for Israel's clown of a Prime Minister until he can return to the work of implementing his oppressive policies.
- One of Ariel Sharon's security staff... is not like the others... one of these guards just doesn't belong.
- A reinvigorated, youthful-looking Shimon Peres was unfortunate enough to be caught by Reuters photographers on his way out of the plastic surgery ward before his scars had fully healed, thus spoiling the electoral surprise in his ongoing quest to capitalize on the vacuum created by Sharon's illness.
- Reuters was lucky and managed to capture yet another erstwhile Likud stalwart making the fateful pilgrimage to his new life in a new party.
- The announcement that the Prime Minister was going home triggered this spontaneous, hands-in-the-air Hallelujah moment.
- A hospital surgeon, confused by all the press and security, took a wrong turn on his way to the prep room and can't figure out why when he raises his hands and barks "scrub me" nothing happens.
- The man dressed as a clown is a security suspect about to be frisked within an inch of his life for having the temerity to breach the bedridden Prime Minister's security perimeter with a red nose and a metallic looking switch in his left hand.
Further, as far as I know, he is not really under arrest for that metallic switch in his left hand. He's probably just clowning around with security or the Reuters artistic staff.
Still, you might wonder what that suspicious thing in his left hand actually is. Well, that thing is... well it's... you have to understand -- he works in a kid's ward. Entertaining children. So basically he walks around the ward, talking to the kids and getting them to laugh by making certain... noises... with the assistance of that thing in his hand. You know.
Clown farts.
They're actually quite funny. I even laughed, a little. Don't tell my kids though.
Now leave the clown alone, he's got work to do.
