Bentonsport, Iowa is the first place I've been to for quite a long time that still has solid-seat swings rather than the curved kind that throw grown-up hips out of alignment.Bentonsport is what Blockton would be if it had a river and some snappy marketing. Which is to say, still tiny, but with a healthy (read: existant) economy selling kitsch to staycationers who can't afford to travel any farther.
I have encountered
two people recently who did not know what the word "kitsch" means. It is surprisingly hard to explain. I think wikipedia's explanation is far too negative. ("a form of art that is considered an inferior, tasteless copy of an extant style of art or a worthless imitation of art of recognized value.")
I'd like to read a more nuanced examination of that relationship. Susan Stewart's On Longing comes close, but I may have to write it myself.
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p.s. re-enabled commenting.
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