Monday, July 20, 2015

Lenin in the Center of the Universe

The Fremont district of Seattle defines itself as "The Center of the Universe."  It is a neighborhood where weirdness rears its interesting head.  Or backside.  Sometimes body painted cyclists altogether in the altogether ride on the day of the Summer Soltice.  [Allow me a maidenly blush.]

Would you be surprised to find a troll there?  Naturally, it's under a bridge.  Beware, Billy Goat Gruff!



And V. I. Lenin, of all people, has a seven-ton statue there.  He was originally in Slovakia, taken down and discarded in the Velvet Revolution, and bought by a local who thought it had artistic merit.  (I'll leave it to your own aesthetic taste or otherwise whether you agree or disagree with this.)



But Lenin is a festive guy.  Sometimes he's decorated; such as appearing in drag or celebrating Halloween or Christmas:



This brings to mind The Great Lenin Hoax.  According to FYI, Lenin was to be sold in a Going Out of Business sale.  Just what you need: a stuffed dictator!   Fear not!  The sense of humor is alive and prospering in this Land of the Free.

But what is the p.c. reaction to this tomfoolery?  Is it cutting the old boy down to size, or is the continuing presence of his statue an affront to right thinking?  Kind of makes representations of some ex-Confederates look less dire, doesn't it?

8 comments:

Linda Kay said...

Angel, I'm guessing that a large percentage of the population no longer has any idea who Lenin is, so I guess they can do whatever they want with him.

Cherdo said...

I think that decorating the Lenin statue in outrageous drag is the appropriate use of said statue. In fact, I'm a bit jealous. How can we get the Lenin statue transferred to the UT campus? They know what do do with statues (and rocks).

Mike said...

I think anyone can have a Lenin statue. Just like anyone can have a confederate flag (Virginia battle flag). Just as long as it's not on a state capitol lawn.

Gorilla Bananas said...

There are still those in the West who revere him, including a British blogger who modestly adopted the pen name 'Lenin', which others lengthened to 'Dickie Lenin'.

He's now reverted to his real name and if you google 'Lenin's Tomb' you will find his blog. Do not read it unless you want to bore yourself to sleep.

Big Sky Heidi said...

That sounds like an odd neighborhood. Most of Seattle is too pricy to live in; even if you're an urbane hipster.

Elvis Wearing a Bra on His Head said...

It sounds like an artsy-fartsy neighborhood.

Cloudia said...

You need to have your own segment on CNN!




aloha, Angel

Rammer Jammer Yellow Hammer said...

Fremont is a strange place. It's more fun than most of Seattle. University of Washington is nearby.