August 30, 2005

Oddballs

Are Britons really more eccentric than Americans?

Posted by Alan Allport at August 30, 2005 01:30 PM
Comments

Dunno. The cranky-inventor type memorialized by Dickens in IIRC *Great Expectations* is a pretty stereotypically American kind of character. Old ham radio guys for example. And we do have our share of hoarders, clutterers and cat ladies. And a lot of weird homegrown religions and conspiracy theories.

Then again this guy may have a point about the exhibitionism. Voice heard from somewhere across this courtyard in San Francisco yesterday: "OK, you're back from Burning Man, you can put your clothes back on."

Posted by: Martha Bridegam at August 31, 2005 12:50 PM

P.S. And we must have some of the loopiest letter-writers in the world. E.g. this one:

I don't hate cats. I just think that their allergy-inducing, germ-carrying, property-fouling bodies should be better managed.

Posted by: Martha Bridegam at August 31, 2005 02:44 PM