working people
22 October 2010
4 comments
I saw this picture at The Art of Manliness, and I had to share it. This is such a combination of cool that words fail to describe it.
(why, yes, that is in fact Clark Gable. Good eye.)
building a bias for action
I love Clark Gable. I love men. There is an “art” to manliness and I love it.
Ok, well, I’d argue that it’s a bit gendercentric to suggest that only a man would be artfully posed in such a photograph. But before I suggest that, I wonder if Danny could tell us what he finds so cool about this photograph? I am not suggesting it’s not cool; I’m asking to know more about the appeal. Emily, you feel free to chime in, too.
Perhaps the black and white photo lends a certain panache to an otherwise ironic lack of color in today’s imagery. Clark Gable is one of the icons of cool in his age (an age whose elements of style and demeanor are currently forgotten or have evolved). The intent look on the face balanced by a straight pipe helps (straights are generally recognized in the pipe-smoking world to be suited to more rakish personalities), plus anytime you put tools in a pair of hands, you evoke a sense of workingman’s pride (the same pride you see on the faces of women working in the factories during WWII, so it is – from my perspective, at least – not gender-specific). Finally, there is the hint of realization that Mr. Gable might not know a tinker’s damn about the workings of an internal combustion engine. Nevertheless, he’s willing to pick up the pliers and screwdriver and have a go at whatever is ostensibly ailing the poor machine. “Knowledge be damned, I have two hands, a brain, and some time to kill. What could possibly go wrong?”
The collar cracks me up.
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This is the personal website of Dan Sanders, IT Security Officer-blogger-game designer. I created the World of Atkelem fantasy setting (see WorldOfAtkelem.com). Feel free to send me a note if you have questions, and thanks for visiting.
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