1980s Plastic Charm Bracelets And Necklaces

In the mid-1980s the girls in my class were obsessed with plastic charm bracelets and necklaces. Retro fashion inspired by an even earlier era, these charms could be as simple as a plastic shape (animals, hearts, etc) to as complex as little books and phones with dials.

Whatever charms you chose, the idea was to buy a lot of them — and heap them on plastic chains. It went beyond mere schoolyard fashion, being more emblematic of a 1980s trademark — excess.

Do not be fooled by lesser plastic charms. The true vintage 1980 charm will have a little “anchor” fastener (to attach it on the wide loops of the plastic chains) and sometimes a little metal “jingle.”

Today the authentic plastic charms go for a bit in the collector’s market, with sometimes an entire “full” chain grabbing an upwards of $120+.

Is This Obama Sock Monkey Racist?

New York Magazine asks the question: “is this sock monkey racist?”

The sock monkey in question is produced by TheSockObama.com, who claims that the toy is just the result of a “casual and affectionate observation one night, and a charming association between a candidate and a toy we had when we were little.”

But some New York readers are not amused, with some commentors suggesting that the attorney general of Utah, the state where the sock monkeys are produced, should be notified. Another reader comments:

“As an African-American boomer, I have to give them an “A” for cleverness and cunning. During (legalized) Segregation in the South, when I visited Mobile, AL during the Summers — I went through the looking glass and experienced a world filled with nuance, double entrendre and African-Americans having to pretend demeaning imagery was funny. In other words, we had to be “in” on the joke or there was something wrong with us.”

But, other readers disagree, saying that this is “much ado about nothing”:

“The SockObama happens to look very cute. It is just your usual sock monkey with an Obama haircut and a suit. It does in fact look a bit like Obama, and Obama does in fact look rather like a sock monkey. What is your problem? Get over it!”

What’s your opinion? Do you think the Obama Sock Monkey is racist?

Brooklyn Splendor: “Street Code” Webcomic

“Street Code” follows the exploits of a former Alphabet City resident who relocates to Brooklyn — and in the process falls down the proverbial rabbit’s hole.

Artist and writer Dean Haspiel brings the same sort of raw-but-funny slice of life vibe to “Street Code” that he contributed to Harvey Pekar’s “American Splendor.” The semi-autobiographical piece is will be hosted and serialized exclusively on the Zuda webcomic site starting on Friday July 18, but a six-page preview is now up on Pop Candy.

“Monster Parents” In Japan Terrorize Schools

There were 26 Snow Whites in the school play — and no dwarves or wicked witches. That’s because the parents at the school insisted that only their precious darlings were good enough to play Snow White.

The moms and dads achieved this feat — which resulted in 26 Snow Whites — by harassing and pressuring the school until it relented. This is part of a new social phenomenon in Japan called “Monster Parents.”

This new crop of monster parents terrorize schools by committing such acts as ganging up to get certain “problem” teachers fired, planting sound recording devices in the classrooms to get “evidence,” and insisting that the structure of the school’s sports events be changed to make things more “equal.”

In extreme cases, the parents resort to “teacher hunting” — actually approaching the teacher in question as an angry mob and harassing until him or her offers to resign on the spot

These aggressive parents are a far cry from what was considered their place in an earlier time in Japan, a time where “decorum” ruled and schools respected. The reason for the change? It’s been theorized that social breakdowns as the result of the economic downturns of the 1990s might be a factor.

Now Japanese teachers and school officials live in fear of the Monster Parents.

(Times Online)