Mugging for the Camera

Hello. Welcome to the Weekend Gene Pool, which is an example of something that’s done an amazing job and is being recognized more and more. In it, I ask you to send in anecdotes and stories and opinions, but in return promise to entertain you.

But we will start with a Gene Pool Gene Poll on the Trump mugshot, which for some reason became instantly iconic. We are going to examine that for a moment.

The presidential historian and photographer David Hume Kennerly declared on NPR that it was definitely not “art,” though it was evocative. I disagree. To me, it looked like subtly expressionist portraiture — a painting that is surreally lit, with odd brushwork. The question is, what was Trump trying to project, and did he succeed?

Which of the following do you think he most communicated? There are overlaps but choose the best overall summary of the look he achieved.

Okay, good. As far as iconography, I personally prefer the smug mugshot, from 1938, of Frank Sinatra after he was arrested for “seduction.” (The charges were dismissed, when the woman was shown to be married; apparently you could only legally seduce a virgin, and only via a lying promise of marriage. Nastily, the charge against Sinatra was then re-filed as “adultery.” It was also later dropped.)

Now, for the questioning of you.

Today, I am going to ask you to tell me about your “sosumis.” A sosumi is a term I made up about 15 years ago, to describe something that almost everyone thinks is great, but you don’t … so sue me.

I have a whole bunch, beginning with Krispy Kreme doughnuts, particularly the glazed ones, which taste like something had been slathered with wet, sugar-infused Vaseline. The beach; any beach, any time, yawn. Owning a boat or going out on one for hours of boredom. Kurt Cobain, particularly doing Smells Like Teen Spirit, which has good lyrics that are screamed unintelligibly at you. Cars that parallel park themselves — which may be convenient but add to our national flabbiness and lassitude by further eroding our ability to have skills and use them. Titanic, the movie, which saw the need to inject schlocky romcom drama into one of the most most dramatic actual things that ever happened.

So. Tell me some of yours, and we will discuss ‘em on Tuesday. The more explanation / rationale that you give, the better. Remember, a sosumi only works if the thing you are talking about is something most people like.

Send ‘em here, to this handsome orange button:

Also, you can always feel free to convert from free subscriber to paid subscriber, which means you get to be my employer and boss me around. It’s only $4.15 a month. You do it here: