THIS IS IT!
Strange Signs, Social Oddities, and Antidotes to Boredom
by DENNIS SLIFER
This is the price your customers see. Edit list price
About the Book
Coming up with a good book title is always a challenge and this was no exception. It started out being about strange signs and then expanded to include other cultural oddities. Of course this is like beauty—it’s in the eye of the beholder. As I assembled my photos I knew what I was looking for but soon realized it went beyond just weird signs and encompassed such disparate media as murals, billboards, tourist traps and corny roadside attractions, folk art, bumper stickers, tee-shirts, vehicles, shrines and churches, and most anything funky and kitschy in public spaces.
For me, these sightings often involve a certain cognitive dissonance—a “say what?” moment that can brighten otherwise drab and mundane surroundings. Explanations for these phenomena include sheer stupidity, bureaucratic ineptness, unfortunate acronyms, intentional wit or sarcasm, naiveté, and cultural discrepancies. Stunning examples of the later category await travelers in foreign cultures and often involve excretion and bathroom practices. For example, a sign in Nepal proclaiming “Defecation free zone” almost certainly has a different intent than “Fartkontrol” and “Full Fart” signs in Norway or the warnings in Pakistan “Don’t wash feet in toilet.” It’s a goofy old world for those with the eyes to see, and antidotes to boredom abound as witnessed here.
Features & Details
- Primary Category: Arts & Photography Books
-
Project Option: Standard Landscape, 10×8 in, 25×20 cm
# of Pages: 170 - Publish Date: Jan 25, 2014
- Language English
- Keywords signs, oddities, travel, photography
About the Creator
Dennis Slifer is a writer, photographer, and retired environmental scientist. His diverse interests are reflected in this sample of his books with Blurb: Ambling Around the Atacama and the Altiplano Art on the Rocks: The Best of the Quest My People Collection Quay's Tale: A Memoir of Monkey Boy Little Big Dog: A Memoir of Mamasita Brothers: The Story of Angus and Linus Critters: A Tribute to Compassion Sideway Cider Squeezing Marking Change: Historic Rock Art in the Southwest Curios: Collecting Eclectic This is It!: Strange Signs, Social Oddities The Country Life: Be Careful What You Wish For Shadow Catcher Window Seat: The View From Above Adventures of the Old Stik Wonderfully Odd Bigger is Always Better Haste Ye Back: Exploring the Scottish Highlands and Isles Wandering the West: 2005 to 2021 (17 volumes) Elder Trucks: America's Love of Old Trucks (4 volumes) Dropping Far Out: How Counterculture Shaped my Life Friends in Low Places: A Caver's Memoir South of the Border Dobar Dan