Is it The Thinker or is it Uncle Rico?

At the risk of sounding like someone with no observational skills whatsoever, it honestly took me a few days to realize that all Liberal candidates not only share the same party, but also shared the same campaign poster pose.Right hand under their chin, subtle smile on their face, eyes staring into the vast horizon, no doubt pondering our collective futures…

Some silly political advisor or communications director must have thought that the same stance would connote maturity, unity, clarity of vision. All I saw was uniformity and lack of individuality. Were there no focus groups involved in this decision?

And I'm certainly not the only one thinking this. William Watson, who teaches Economics at McGill University, wrote in The Gazette on March 6: "Seeing so many in the same pose makes you think they're not independent-minded at all. And chin on thumb and forefinger is not a natural position for most people. It makes them look posed, not pensive."

The other reason I don't like the Liberal pose is that it makes me giggle uncontrollably; probably not the reaction they were looking for. I'm a huge "Napoleon Dynamite" fan. That silly 2005 comedy had me quoting lines from that movie for months, and so, as an added bonus, when I stare at the Liberal posters, all I see is Uncle Rico's glamour head shot. Those who saw the movie know what I'm talking about and are starting to giggle right now.

In the movie, former college football star and current has-been, Uncle Rico, accompanied by his nerdy nephew Kip, goes to Deb, a young amateur photographer to get some glamour shots taken. Here's what takes place at the studio:

Deb: Okay, turn your head on more of a slant… Now, make a fist and slowly ease it underneath your chin. [All three turn their heads in a slant and slowly ease up their fists under their chins]

Deb:Ok, now hold still. Now, just imagine you're weightless, in the middle of the ocean, surrounded by little seahorses. [Uncle Rico pictures it and gives a gleaming look at the camera]

Deb: I think this is it.

Uncle Rico: I think so too.

Now, imagine me driving and coming across poster after poster of Liberal candidates in the Uncle Rico glamour pose. They think they're the Thinker, while I think they're surrounded by little seahorses. That's the problem with trying so hard to project an image. Sometimes the image projected just isn't the image desired.