I was a bit put off by your satirizing the people who were attending the demolition derby. I've personally never been to a DD, but the people you were disparaging are also referred to as the "salt of the earth". These are the people who grow the food we eat, drive the trucks that move the things we need, build the structures that house us, pick up after us, and on and on. Those of us who consider casual attire to be a shirt open at the collar and a sport jacket, would be well advised to appreciate the efforts and lives of these people. Your attitude toward them smacks of "effete snobbishness" to borrow a term from the late and unlamented Spiro Agnew.

Hey Carl!

Agree 100% with your assessment of the fair and fairgoers, and even if you're too polite to say it, I will: We're largely a nation of fat, obnoxious, uncultured, incurious, reality show-watching, dumbed-down peasants. Ever has it been thus, and like a moth to a flame, or a tornado to a trailer park, the booboisie are naturally drawn to such low-brow gatherings as fairs and demo derbies. It may be just me, but give me "effete" any day!

And for those that can't see it because they're too immersed in the "culture" here, I suggest a visit to almost any European country to open your eyes, and your minds.

Nevertheless, hobnobbing with the hoi-polloi at such gatherings still can be a kind of perverse fun. It's a chance to watch the freak show, and breathe in the funky atmospere. I draw the line at funnel-cake, however!

BTW, your pictures are great. You ought to be a photographer as well!

Atmosphere, I mean