very very disturbing

OK so I went to the State Fair last night. (maybe i should stop now?)

And it's become really sad to me. We got there and parked on some old guys lawn ($7 but, the sexual harassment was free) We had been warned by the local news not to buy tickets from outside vendors so we paid the ($8) to get in. And proceeded to find the worst food to eat, possible. Food consumed : large penis shaped pickles ($5), fried mac and cheese ($5), pork sand which ($9), pork-on-a-stick ($6), corn on the cobb dripping with butter ($3), we all rode the giant slide ($3), we sat and watched the worst band ever (free), decided to walk to the mid-way and along the way pet some really sad looking cows (now i remember why i have not had a burger in years), we all paid $3 to have this guy guess our age, and he got mine totally right. (weird) We then found ourselves in the midway. This is when the weirdness really started happening, after buying the best lemonade ($5) ever, we were walking and some kid was laying on the ground. We thought he was fucking around. As he lifted his head, blood came spraying out. And it was gross. I guess some other kid had hit him and he fell and hit his head. It was pretty nasty. Leaving that scene we watched some of the rides. Holy shit, they so don't look or sound safe. Jenny said she had worked as a Carine and would NEVER ride those rides. So we skipped it, plus the last time I was on the zipper, threw up inside (not cool). As we came around the corner we came upon bobo the clown, WTF? This guy was so nasty. He was paid to make fun of people who walked by so they would buy baseballs to dunk him. He said some horrible things and his laugh was straight horror movie. We had to stand and really take that one in. It was SUPER creepy. I wish i had a photo of him. After I lost $2 in the push the quarters game, we moved on. Around the corner we came upon another clown also as creepy. I have decided I don't like clowns. Especially ones that make fun of people. I think the mic that he was using also added to the creepiness.

OK. now. Little Linda. This is where it gets super sad. The worlds smallest woman. 29 inches high. I could not go in and look, but Liv and jenny did. They talked to her and asked her how she was. I guess she had a couch, side table, cell phone and a CD player. It was $1 to go look at her. These drunk guys came out and showed us her photo. It was sad. Even they said she looked depressed. I thought they should give he some beer. I guess she was funny.

So this got me thinking. World Circus Sideshow was a sideshow owned and operated by "Professor" Samuel Wagner from 1922 to 1941 on Surf Avenue, Coney Island, New York. And has been going on for many many years. People are drawn to the odd. And are willing to pay for it. And as sad as this seems, are we not programmed like this? Or is it something we have learned?

This is what I have learned: The "Single-O" is a single attraction, for example a single curiosity like the "Bonnie and Clyde Death Car" or Hitler's staff car , a "Giant Rat" (actually usually a nutria) or other unusual animal, a "What Is It?" (often a convincing but artificial monstrosity like the Fiji Mermaid) or a geek show often billed as "See the Victim of Drug Abuse." A "Museum Show" which might be deceptively billed as "World's Greatest Freaks Past and Present," is a sideshow in which the exhibits are usually not alive. It might include tanks of piranhas or cages with unusual animals, stuffed freak animals or other exotic items like the weapons or cars allegedly used by famous murderers. Some of the exhibits might even be dummies or photographs of the billed attractions. It could still be truthfully billed with the claim "$1,000 reward if not absolutely real — please do not touch or feed the animals on exhibit".The Single-O and the Museum Show are usually operated as "grind shows," meaning that patrons may enter at any time, viewing the various exhibits at their leisure.

This is what I saw last night. And even though I did not hand my sweaty bill to the guy "handling" her, it was just as sad. In thinking about it...I have a ton of tattoos and sometimes, I feel like the freak. And if i could collect money for that, maybe I would. And maybe not. I have no idea how little Linda lives. And maybe its really good. And maybe not. But, it seems sad. And am I part of that? And why? I realize this is something that has been happening for years. But, does that make it OK? She is a living, breathing person. And deserves to be treated as one?

I am not sure how i feel about this today. After leaving little Linda and the fake snake lady (with her head in a hole on a table) who looked really pissed off. We made our way out of there. Leah and I rode the sky glider back to the other side. Jenny and Liv walked. We shared a funnel cake ($6) and thought that the cream puff area was closed. But it was not. You have to go around the side for walk-up cream puffs. I could not do it. Another time, maybe?

So all in all it was an fun night. A little on the downer side, but fun with the girls.

k