“If liberty means anything at all, it means the right
to tell people what they do not want to hear.”

- George Orwell

I knew there were such things as gay bars, but I didn't know there were gay cars until I read an article that today's Strib reprinted from the New York Times. Apparently certain cars are "known" to be vehicles of choice for gays: Subaru Outbacks for lesbians, for example, and Mazda Miatas and Volkswagon Bugs (among others) for the guys. Let me tell you, it certainly made me rethink the Disney movie classic "The Love Bug"! Do you think all along Herbie always had a thing for Dean Jones and not Michele Lee? Could the number "53" be some kind of code, maybe kind of like driving with just your left fog lamp on?

It just never occurred to me that a type of car could be "gay", though there's no doubt that we have long bought and marketed vehicles because of the kind of image they project, from "muscle" cars to minivans. Certainly there's a kind of manly brawniness with some trucks and SUVs — perhaps someone is just overcompensating? Frankly, I would have been mystified that a certain look or certain features could be construed as gay — though I must admit that the new Dodge Nitro does look rather "butch." I mean, what would you look for in a "gay" car: a liftback? Four-on-the-floor? A car that pulls to the left? A pick-up? And just what does the "PT" stand for in a PT Cruiser?

Let's not even think about what a leather interior suggests! (Well, okay: Grand Marquis de Sade?)

Is this true for other lifestyles as well? Do certain vehicles have certain connotations? I suppose minivans are universally recognized and mocked for being the vehicles of choice for soccer moms, and there's something about a Corvette that screams "mid-life crisis", but if you see someone driving a Golf, would they necessarily have to be a golfer? Do all Prius's come with a Wellstone! sticker as standard equipment? Do all bloggers have "Star Fleet Academy" lettering on the back window?

Is there such a thing as a "Christian" car? I know Dodge used to make a certain mid-sized car that I once thought might be kind of funny to own, if only so I could say, "Ok, kids — let's get in the Spirit and drive to church!"

And please, somebody tell me: what were you thinking when you bought a Ford Probe?

Buffy brings the beau home —

Girl brings home suitor. Father tries to frighten suitor. For real or for jest. With harsh words. An intimidating stare.

Pa used arms the size of tree trunks and a highly arched brow. A friend’s dad employed over the counter drug tests. “Here. Pee in the cup.” The old codgers from Seven Brides for Seven Brothers used guns. Lined up the boys and whipped out the rifles.

Mine used dynamite.

T was the first and last guy I ever brought home to meet the family. I was 25. We’d been together for two years and it was his first visit to Appalachia. I should have been shocked by it all. I wasn’t. Not that I expected my father and his pack of dark-eyed brothers to blow up the mountain, close down the only road out and block any chance of escape for a good portion of the day. But I didn’t not expect it either.

Davin Arul has a great piece today about Spiderman - the superhero most like us and, perhaps, the one we'd most like to be like, doing battle both against evil-doers and our own personal weaknesses. Arul looks at the decisions that make a superhero:

You can't quit now: Every fibre of your being hurts: from the pain of those broken ribs, to the strain of holding up that collapsing ceiling while flood waters swirl about your waist, rising with each second.

You want to just give in, submit to the blackness that’s hovering at the edge of your vision. But Aunt May will die, because she'll never receive the medicine that's in your belt if you give up. And so you resolve not to.

No odds are impossible: The Sinister Six, a collection of your worst enemies, have beaten you down and they're now set to carry out their diabolical plans. Thousands could die if they aren't stopped. You're the only hero present, so it's all up to you. Individually, they're tough to handle – let alone all at once.

So you put that genius intellect of yours to work. You prioritise your targets, you formulate a strategy, you determine which enemy's strength you can turn against him. And then you get to work.

If about to crack ... just crack wise: The enemy you face is implacable, and has every desire to do you harm. Reasoning with him hasn't helped, and you feel little tendrils of panic tickle the back of your brain. So ... you let loose a stream of banter and wisecracks, and it keeps your mind off the seriousness of the situation.

Your foe scoffs at first, but then the banter gets under his skin. He starts to get careless, while your resolve grows and you can sense that you've won. Levity over gravity, my man.

You think you've got problems: Sure, the rent is overdue, Aunt May's medical bills are piling up, and that tightwad boss of yours is threatening to cut your photo rates. But that family you saved from a fire last week has to live in a community hall for the next six months.

And that elderly guy you grabbed just before a bus hit him - your keen senses picked up the rattle in his breathing that told you he was really sick. But he was genuinely happy to be alive.

Think you've got problems, hero? They don't add up to a hill of beans next to some other folks’ troubles. And if they can cope – then maybe you can, too.

Do the right thing: Even if it means admitting an earlier “thing” was wrong...

...When “moral” and “legal” decided on one of their frequent trial separations, you chose the former, determined to correct your mistakes and honour the sacrifices of your comrades.

With great power: And now we stand at your beginning. Something has changed inside you. Where you were once weak and reticent, you're suddenly brimming with vigour and confidence.

You're standing on a ledge, considering your future. It really isn't that far to the next rooftop, but it seems like a mile away. Just one step back and you'll be on familiar ground again, on firm footing, and life will go on as it always has.

One step forward, one leap of faith, and everything changes forever. Your life will never be the same, and neither will the lives of those dear to you. Yes, change can be disruptive, but it isn't necessarily a bad thing.

You hesitate because you are, after all, only human. You're standing on a ledge, considering your future.

And just like that, you go for it.

Great stuff. Of course, that all just applies to superheroes and comic books, right? Go read the whole thing.