Friday, December 18, 2009

Tackiness Continuum

SDB and I got to discussing something other than the baby a few weeks ago, and it is appropriate for this dying blog. So, hopefully this will breathe some life into CTS!

It started something like this (much para-phrasing, I'm sure):

SDB, coming out of Lowe's: I saw this inflatable santa playing golf. It wasn't that bad.

KAT: *incredulous look* All inflatable santa things are tacky.

SDB: Well, it wasn't THAT tacky.

*LIGHT BULB*

KAT: Is there some sort of continuum of tackiness? If so, what is that MOST tacky thing you can think of? And, then what is the LEAST tacky thing (that could still be called tacky, mind you) you can think of?

So, dear readers (the 3 or 4 of you), what are your suggestions for the bookends of this proposed continuum of tackiness?

3 comments:

Animal said...

Wow, this is definitely a tough call. SO many things are tacky, but in a decidedly wonderful way…then, there are things that aren't really wonderful, but still tacky, but not altogether that bad. Hmmm…

*thinks*

I would say that, definitely, the bottom end of tackiness would include ALL inflatable holiday lawn "decorations." I hate 'em. Overdecorating for any holiday is tacky, but a step above even a single inflatable.

The upper end is tougher, because there's chic- tacky, arty-tacky, and just plain tacky-but-not-TOO-tacky. Some guidelines?

kat said...

Hmm, I see. The top (er, good) end of the continuum is definitely the tricky part. It seems that there are a bunch of categories of tacky, like you point out. So, maybe the top end of the continuum is the category of "worthy tacky"....those tacky things that make us smile. I guess that would make the bottom end of the continuum those tacky things that make us roll our eyes and/or barf.

Animal said...

Gotcha. And, I think you just defined it exceptionally well. Top? Smile-tacky…like the humping USB dog that Josh brought back from Japan. Bottom? Barf-tacky…like the aforementioned holiday inflatables, and the yard "art" of elderly couples bending over so that you can see their bottoms. Ugh.