1.12.2009

Paging Marcel Duchamp

So, it seems that Joe the Plumber has gone to war. As a war correspondent. Sort of. From the Jerusalem Post, via Ta-Nehisi:

Samuel Wurzelbacher of Ohio, aka Joe the Plumber, arrived in Sderot at noon Sunday to show local and foreign reporters how to do it right.

Joe the Plumber examines...

Joe the Plumber examines rocket remains in Sderot on Sunday.
Photo: GPO

"You should be ashamed of yourself," he told foreign reporters.

"You should be patriotic, protect your family and children, not report like you have been doing for the past two weeks since this war has started," he said.

Wurzelbacher, the man who stole the limelight from Republican presidential candidate John McCain during the American election campaign, has found a new job - as a correspondent for the Internet Web sites PJTV and Pajamas Media.

When you stop and think about it (which I wouldn't necessarily recommend), there's almost a beauty to this. The man known as Joe the Plumber is neither named Joe nor a licensed plumber. He rises to prominence (of a kind) during the campaign by asking about a financial scenario that, on further inspection, does not actually pertain to him. And, also, he owes back taxes. So, really, lots of sound and fury, signifying nothing.

Thus, it makes perfect sense that he is going to be a "war reporter" who decries the actions of other war reporters when they report on war.

I await his NEA grant and upcoming installation at the Whitney Biennial with great eagerness. Take that, Karen Finley!

1 comment:

  1. A few days ago I heard that, according to a recent poll, Joe the Plumber is a celebrity that people would least want to reside next to--poor grammar, I know, but it's efficient. Britney is another.

    Barbara

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