The ironic Noam rule

by Daniel on December 10, 2009

via Blood & Treasure, it has to be said that if you are going to commit the social solecism of an ironic garden gnome, this is the one to go for.

{ 9 comments }

1

Tim Wilkinson 12.11.09 at 12:19 am

That is more hilarious than it has any right to be, and with the correct Gnomish element of slight disturbingness. The costume – as if the boots and hat were provided, and he had to improvise the rest at very short notice. Pair of jeans, belt on the outside – voilà!

2

Colin Danby 12.11.09 at 12:22 am

Is the owner of this figure, then, ironic about gnomes or about Chomsky? How would you tell? Is it possible to be ironic about Chomsky? Is that the irony, indeed, that an ironical approach to Chomsky is so difficult? If I pair it with, say, a little clay donkey pulling a wagon, do I make it clear that my irony is directed toward garden art and not toward politically engaged linguists?

3

Salient 12.11.09 at 1:10 am

These figurines are authorized by the Department of Gnomeland Security:

http://www.justsaygnome.net/gnomeland-security.html

The lead picture of the gnome SWAT team’s pretty good, but it’s the smugly malevolent semi-bionic Enforcer Chomsky, which is or ought to be entitled “Keeping the Rabble in Line,” that made my day.

Only, they should’ve used Foucault. Then the base inscription could read,
“I discipline and punish.”

4

Salient 12.11.09 at 1:24 am

Now I can’t decide whether I went with the right Chomsky book title for the gnome inscription. How can I justify passing up

* “Terrorizing the Neighborhood”

* “Acts of Aggression: Policing ‘Rogue’ Gardens”

But this is inspiring and I do look forward to buying one of these lawn ornaments and adhering a crimson globe to its outstretched hand and, I don’t know, maybe putting some “What was all that about Gnome-Orb Blood For Oil?” signs out on my front lawn. I’ll, umm, get right on this.

5

Michael Bérubé 12.11.09 at 3:11 am

Salient — you’re overthinking this. The important thing is that the gnome Chomsky will protect your home and garden from the new mandarins as well as the new military humanism. It’s like Lawn Doctor, only anti-imperialist.

6

kid bitzer 12.11.09 at 3:13 am

“If I pair it with, say, a little clay donkey pulling a wagon,” then, colin, you show that you are being ironic about donkey sentences.

7

mathpants 12.11.09 at 8:00 am

this is pretty childish, noam’ sayin’?

8

Kenny Easwaran 12.11.09 at 8:31 am

kid bitzer – I think you mean to say: “I someone pairs it with a donkey then he is using it to be ironic about donkey sentences”. There’s no problem in the anaphora if the sentence is unquantified, like yours!

9

kid bitzer 12.11.09 at 11:50 am

thanks, kenny. your version is better than mine.

seems like every time i try to tell a good joke, someone beats it with a better one.

but maybe now i’m just flogging a dead donkey.

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