Thursday, August 2, 2007

Deconstructionist Superheroes

Some people are impervious to satire. Or maybe just so postmodern that they can enjoy with ironic detachment any attempts to make fun of them. I don't know that I can always handle being mocked, but I love not taking academia seriously at the same time I take it seriously. For example, for a long time I had this on the door to my TA cubicle (back when I had a cubicle):

Is that cool or what? I wish we could throw around real powers instead of just the ability to sardonically raise an eyebrow or tease out multiple overdetermined nuances.

(What? You don't think those are superheroes? Are you kidding? Anyone who attacks students who don't read and skinny blonde women (check out the King Kong grip) is a hero in my book; I'm in California, and getting pretty sick of those.)

3 comments:

Amber said...

hi.lar.i.ous.

Flavia said...

There was a piece of op-art (on the op-ed page) in the NYT a number of years ago that purported to be an ad for a new summer blockbuster called "THE DECONSTRUCTOR"; it featured a buff, shirtless guy in teeny-tiny Euro glasses, arms crossed, and slogans like, "CONTEXT has been OBLITERATED." (It's at the office, so I can't quote from it exactly.) Alas, I have no image to share.

Sisyphus said...

Ah, that would be an image to see, though! Maybe I need to start a collection of theory parody memorabilia.