Further to yesterday's post, I received this in an email:
The 'startling' DESTROY THE COMPUTER...IT'S A HOMO'S DEVIL MACHINE photo you posted is not what you seem to think it is. Surely the overstatement shouts out irony. In fact the snap was taken at a demo congratulating the Massachussetts Supreme Justice Court (see the SJC badge) on its support for same-sex marriages or whatever they're called in that part of the world.
You're normally such an acute observer and commentator that I'm surprised you jumped to the wrong conclusion here.
The demonstrator, who you accuse of being 'mentally enfeebled' has a somewhat unfeminine aspect and is clutching a multi-coloured flag (not quite a full rainbow). Far from being a hating homophobic, I suspect she's a daughter of Lesbos who perhaps plans to avail herself of the Massachussetts partnerships legislation.
I have to say that while I am pleased that I'm wrong, the photograph does not shout "irony" at me. This seems neither ironic nor a particularly wise move, nor does the protester/supporter seem particularly pleased by the legislation. Maybe I've just become a bit blasé that we don't have the need for this sort of demonstration in the UK any more. A dangerous complacency, perhaps?
I'll let the photograph stand and unreservedly withdraw the comment about mental enfeeblement whilst hoping that there are no more such ambiguous - and not very amusing - "protests" of this sort.
Jewellery talk and more from Dauvit Alexander, The Justified Sinner.