Dunedin Douche Bag

This drawing is a bit of cathartic venting on my part.

The men's fashion in New Zealand drives me a little crazy.  Especially among college aged guys.  The fashion is typified by baggy-v neck shirts, dark shoes with long dark socks, and really really short boy's shorts with the bottoms rolled up even higher on the thigh.  It's a horrifying display of man thigh.

Lately I've been seeing a guy on campus with one of those "too cool for school" expressions, and everything he does makes me angry.  The other day I was walking behind him as he cut in front of traffic because he was too impatient to wait for the walk symbol.  But then he walked up to the door for handicapped people, slammed the automatic door button, and struck a little pose as he waited for the door to slowly open.  Even though I actually waited the fifteen seconds for the walk symbol to turn green, I still walked past him as he waited for the electric handicapped door to pen.  Apparently his arms were too weak to push the door open on his own.

It pissed me off so bad that I decided to immortalize the moment in digital technicolor.

It's really strange, because among some men in New Zealand (thankfully not all of them) there is a really false bravado that reminds me of insecure schoolyard bullies.  It is blatantly chauvinist.  It wouldn't be so bad if television advertisers didn't focus so much on that sub-set of population.  Every other commercial is about "Man"-this and "Man"- that.  Last year they were advertising Man Bread, Man Ice Cream, and (I swear I am not making this up) Man Yogurt.

#12 Zachary Taylor (1849-1850)

The twelfth president of the United States: Zachary Taylor.

Even though he was only president for about a year (before his untimely death), he temporarily prevented the south from seceding from the union - by threatening them with violence.

#11 James K Polk (1845-1849)

The eleventh president of the United States: James K Polk.

The first and only Malfoy to be elected president.

#10 John Tyler (1841-1845)

The tenth president of the United States - John Tyler.

John Tyler was the first vice president to become president because of the death of his predecessor.

He was also the target of the first impeachment resolution against a president (headed by John Quincy Adams).

Later he helped create the Southern Confederacy, and died a member of the Confederate House of Representatives.

#9 William Henry Harrison (1841)

The ninth president of the United States - William Henry Harrison.

Poor William Henry Harrison holds the distinction of being the first man to die in the presidential office - after only a month.  It's hard to find a picture of him where he doesn't look depressed.

#8 Martin Van Buren (1837-1841)

The eighth president of the United States of America - Martin Van Buren.

Only a democrat could pull off those amazing sideburns.

#7 Andrew Jackson (1829-1837)

The seventh president of the United States of America - Andrew Jackson.

This guy is far too complicated for me to pin down in a sentence or two so I'll just write a quick juxtaposition:
Popular president for the people vs. The trail of tears.

I really really wish he had succeeded in abolishing the electoral college.  A man can dream...

#6 John Quincy Adams (1825-1829)

The sixth president of the United States - John Quincy Adams.  It sounds as if Adams's presidency was rather uneventful because he had to contend with opposition in Congress (sounds a little familiar).  Prior to his presidency he was a brilliant diplomat, helping to design the Monroe Doctrine.  After leaving the presidential office he became a Congressman and spent the rest of his political life fighting slavery (even predicting an inevitable civil war).

He was also the first president to be photographed, so now I have to start worrying about getting accurate likenesses.

Trivia time: at his inauguration John Quincy didn't swear on a Bible, but instead on a stack of law books.  He viewed swearing on a Bible as a violation of the separation of church and state.