So I’m wrapped in four layers of clothing, encased in gloves, scarf and a wool hat at the Middletown train station this morning, doing my very best to stay warm in the Arctic cold. And yet I’m still shivering.
So along come three businesspeople wearing nothing more than suits and ties. They’re happily engaged in an animated conversation about telecom sales support and, apparently, totally unfazed by the frigid temps.
I’m both horrified and mystified. Are they immune to what others feel? Are they from some other planet? Or, was Thomas Jefferson wrong when he wrote that all men were created equal?
I had to find out. So, I sidled up to the nearest one and asked him if he wasn’t freezing. He looked me over as if I’d just asked if he’d ever served a prison sentence and sniffed, "I guess I’m just tougher than you."
So, is this gent’s wanton disregard for warmth part of a larger image he projects to the outside world? One can only wonder what other superhuman traits he possesses. Does he forego an umbrella when it rains? Does he opt to walk from New York to Boston instead of drive? Can he leap tall buildings in a single bound?
Whatever it is that keeps this superman warm, I’ll stick with my gloves, scarf and wool hat, thank you very much. I’d rather be dull and warm than cool and cold.
This post cracked me up. I see this all the time in Chicago. It was six degrees the other day and I work with a guy that wears short every day. I’ve learned that people in Chicago pride themselves on how they brave the cold – so the less they wear, the tougher they think they are. I’m with you though…tough?? Well, that’s debatable. Stupid?? Without question.
Let’s go easy on that guy. He’s probably in bed with pneumonia right now!
This is the funniest post to date. It was bitter cold in NY today, but I guess the warm guy didn’t notice. A good comeback woulda been “either tougher, or poorer and you just can’t afford a coat and hat.”
Ditto with JFK at his inauguration speech. It was a frigid day in DC but all he wore was a suit. He portrayed strength, youth and confidence – all of which was desperately needed from a president during that time.
This is like when President Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev met at a summit meeting in Geneva.
Gorbachev, who was a relatively young dynamic Soviet leader had referred to Reagan (who was 20 years his elder) as a “dinosaur”. But when the two met it was Reagan who looked like the young vibrant leader. Reagan stepped out wearing only his suit and tie, whereas Gorbachev was bundled up in his Russian coat and hat.
Reagan knew all about image, but then, as a former actor you would expect him too.