Senseless Attack On Denim's Character

[Denim rocks when worn correctly.]

For as long as I've been paying attention, George F. Will has been a fixture of most Sunday mornings - turn on the TV and chances are his face will be one of the first you see. If you're like me, nothing makes you grab the remote control faster.

It isn't so much that I haven't the mentality for such shows as "Face The Nation" (or other shows of their ilk) but that I lack the patience for mindless political chatter. After all, arguing the absurdity of the latest political machinations nary does little to change them.

Still, I've always given George F. Will the benefit of the doubt. He looks stuffily smart in ever-present bow-tie and suit, speaks in a studied manner devoid of any emotional investment whatsoever, and, perhaps most importantly, has been around FOREVER.

After reading his latest column, entitled "Demon Denim" , maybe dear George needs a breather.


[George F. Will: "If you guessed my sphincter is puckered, you win."]

In this particular column, Mr. Will states: "Denim is the carefully calculated costume of people eager to communicate indifference to appearances". He then goes on to state that jeans are the "infantile uniform of a nation in which entertainment frequently features childlike adults", then notes that a large percentage of computer gamers are over the age of 18.

Um, so?

Mr. Will, of course, didn't let the simple fact that only a very small percentage of people over the age of 18 are gamers at all stop him from leaping to the conclusion that denim is somehow indicative of society having gone to Hades in a hand basket.

I would not disagree with Mr. Will regarding society's rampant embrace of all things "trailer park". Trucker caps, tramp stamps, et al are the uniform of a society that has simply chosen to shun sophistication before it shuns them. But why attack denim as something that only "society's most slovenly" would wear?

I would direct this question to Mr. Will, but the majority of his column isn't so much a first-hand criticism of denim, but merely a reporting of a Wall Street Journal column on this same subject by writer Daniel Akst, who willfully plants head up arse with the mortal words "If hypocrisy had a flag, it would be cut from denim".

Admittedly, I've never even heard of Daniel Akst and, first impressions being what they are, so far I'm not a fan. Turns out he's a regular contributor to Slate.

Rather than come up with an original thought on his own, Will actually regugitates large portions of Akst's column. What few comments of his own that are offered by Will add up to little more than verbal "piling on".

Regardless, both Will and Akst are both out of their friggin' minds. Sure, I think it'd be cool to get dressed to the nines to attend a ball game like people used to "back in the day", but the fact that jeans are now a widely accepted mode of attire doesn't mean any disrespect to appearance or protocol.

And, hey, who's gonna tell Daisy Duke not to wear short shorts anytime she damn well pleases?

There are a ton of bigger problems in the world, guys. Loosen your bow tie and