Friday, September 21, 2012

Writing on Hands

By now most of us will have noticed this silly trend of writing on hands for Obama.  More personal than a bumper sticker, more temporary than a tattoo, writing on hands is a strange practice.  When do people write on their hands?  I have a few examples from my own experience.

I used to write appointments and assignments on my hands or arms when I was in high school and college.  I was a theater major, so I was expected to be eccentric.  Sometimes I wrote the lyrics of a favorite song on my jeans.  I was young and trying to be on the weird side of hip.  When I belatedly became an adult, such writing stopped.

My husband is a field tech for a local internet provider.  He writes on the palm of his hands occasionally.  For him it is an expedient way to recall a phone number or address when he is in a rush.  It happens only on stressful days, a few times a year.  Notice he writes on his palms, because he doesn't want to show it to the world.

I remember people writing on various body parts in order to cheat on tests.  The really committed cheats in all girl schools wrote on their thighs, because no teacher would ever ask a girl to lift her skirt in class.

So this is what this trend of writing on hands for Obama means to me:  By writing on your hands you have revealed your desire to seem weirdly hip, forgetful, stressed, and a lying cheat.

That is also an accurate assessment of Obama's statements on the Middle East, our economy, and his supporters during the last week.  Amazing how it all comes together.

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