Of course I know that Chinese New Year was on January 25 this year but it’s traditionally around February in the West because we don’t use a Lunar-based calendar needing a special month every few years to prevent July feeling like December. I just wanted my Roaring Twenties header to hang in there a while longer since bringing in 2020 was the last time, I really felt…well, good in general, optimistic for obvious reasons (I miss her in some ways). Plus I had been researching famous rats, not mice, to decorate the header/banner. Originally, I was good with just four which would have me recycling the design I utilized on Leonard Nimoy/William Shatner but a new friend I’ve made brought up Splinter from TMNT and I dug a little deeper to discover Harry Potter’s best bud has a rat familiar named Scabbers (ick!). Therefore, I recycled the Batman/Superman/Wonder Woman 75ths.
It’s pretty amusing how different cultures view the rat too. Despite the Chinese knowing rats weren’t exactly a sign of good sanitation, they were viewed as clever and a creature to emulate via family size. I will stick to the Western perspective. They’re gross, pests and harbingers of horrible things, namely the Black Death. Their junk drags on the ground, leaving a trail of piss everywhere too. Why do you think exterminators carry those portable black lights? They’re not looking for your bitchin’ Led Zeppelin or Stoned Again! posters.
I also find it funny how The Year of the Rat falls once again on an election year in America’s farce called ‘democracy.’ Twelves years later and we’re dealing with another piece of shit rat in the White House but this one won’t be leaving thanks to term limits, Orange Foolius is running around, whipping up his goons into a frenzy to make this country safe for the inevitable Fascism it’s heading toward. The NeoLiberal Democrats whose names rhyme with badminton and yo’ mama share a good part of the blame in this mess as their economic policies match the GOP’s.
Enjoy your extended February with cheap, Chinese made valentines!