Iowa Eyes

Also Iowa Lamps or Greenhorns. The way rural newcomers and persons from the provinces stare for prolonged periods of time at urban dwellers, usually with a disbelieving, gawky incredulity. The gaze predictably derives not only from the usual unfamiliarity with the pace, rhythms and protocols of city life, but also an unmistakable unlettered and unsophisticated countenance and temperament.

Sari and I tend to avoid certain urban attractions moreso in the summer than other times of the year. Places like the arcade, central fountain and the boardwalk are simply not pleasurable with all those largely rural, out-of-town tourists out and about. They tend to stare at the locals with those Iowa Eyes or Lamps as if we were circus freaks or zoo animals.

fascism

simply put, when capitalism gets MEAN.

Untold numbers of african-american communities have been decimated by government-ordered imprisonment of their largely male populations; low wage McDonald's and Walmart service jobs have been touted as reputable career options for some time now; the national economy is officially at full capacity despite millions of current unemployed and underemployed workers; the president says he openly admires the Russian prime minister and the way he manages its' kleptocratic economic and political systems; the 1% vs. the 99%. This is fascism.

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downwardly mobile

any individual, family, group, or other association of persons who has lost economic, financial, political and social status either suddenly or over a longer period of time.

1. The Winchesters were once the most prominent family in town. But due to bad luck, poor judgement, financial catastrophe and inheritance taxes, they are now, like most everyone else, nobodies. They have become downwardly mobile.
2. The Big Three automobile manufacturers (Chrysler, Ford, General Motors) of Detroit, MI were once the titans of American industry back in the mid-twentieth century. But newer technologies (the internet, the computer laptop, the iPhone, et al), newer regions (Silicon Valley, Wall Street, SunBelt, et al) and other economic, political and social changes have rendered them to the proverbial back-of-the-bus. The Big Three - and Detroit, MI - have become downwardly mobile.

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Karen

A meme derived from a joke Dane Cook told sometime in the early 'teens or so. It went viral and since then, no parent in the western hemisphere would dare touch it as a possible name for their newborn daughter.

Young Girl : Mommy, why didn't you name me Karen ?
Mom : Dear, what's wrong with Deuteronomy Lips ? Is this a Boy Named Sue thing ?
Young Girl : No, it's not ! In fact, I happen to LOVE the name Karen ! I think I'm going to sue you and Dad both for not naming me properly ! Hah ! 😛
Mom : Oh, f****in' s**t, you are a Karen ! 😖😫🥵

klantucky

redneck, trailer trash paradise south of the Ohio, north of the Cumberland, east of the Mississippi and west of the Smokey Mountains.

In the hollers they saaang : well a yo ho-ho to mah ole' klantucky home, pass me the 'shine pappy I'ze 'bout to git out and fuck me some sheep, heh, heh, heh ...

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geek boat

derisive term used to describe any grouping of dweebs, geeks, nerds, et al who are about to collectively engage in an activity that will only bring further embarrassment, humiliation and shame upon all of them. 'Boat' is akin to the Titanic, sailing somewhat naively along, oblivious of the impending disaster about to unfold.

Friend : Hey, wouldja look at all the geeks lined up outside the Palladium for the Taylor Swift concert ?
Me: Good Gawd, don't they know there IS no Taylor Swift concert tonight ? That was just a bunch of wise-asses from school who put up phony posters all over town to see what dips would be dumb enough to show up !
Friend : Hey, you're right, and the door they're lined up at isn't the entrance, either. It's a makeshift corridor to the construction workers porta-john on the other side !! LOL

Me : LOL What a bunch of dopey schmucks !!
Friend : What a geek boat !!

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looking for mr. goodbar?

Older, pop culture phrase referencing the 1977 film of the same name starring Diane Keaton. Used to describe a (still) all too common cultural phenomenon and stereotype, whereupon entering a local watering hole, one spots a noticeably middle aging female who, without asking her, one can already glean the following details :

1. she's endlessly looking for a new job or career;

2. she's incessantly looking for a new romantic partner (or the next good lay she can drum up);

3. she's constantly looking for the next place to live (in the immediate vicinity or ANYWHERE for that matter);

4. she's perpetually looking for that 'next big thing' she can't name or describe (and obviously hasn't found yet and, like a character out of a Fitzgerald or Richard Yates novel, probably never will - 'where ARE all those golden people in that golden place ?');

in a phrase, she's a female sad bastard. She's looking for mr. goodbar.

There's Jane - again - blonde hair and blue-eyed, sitting at the bar, martini or glass of wine in hand and that all too familiar look on her face; an expression that evokes a thousand words, phrases and even questions but can be succinctly boiled down to the following : what's the matter, hon ? looking for mr. goodbar?

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