Does this sound overly insane and presumptuous? My agent says to of course go for it, but I'm not sure if I'm being crazy. Is this crazy?

I can't imagine that it would be in your agent's interest to make you look insane or presumptuous. Plus, that sounds way cool.

You know, if whitey can buy "tired old woman" better than they can accept "bad-ass activist" that's whitey's problem -- it doesn't take a thing from the courage of Rosa Parks.

Allyson, what aurelia said - both parts.

Does this sound overly insane and presumptuous? My agent says to of course go for it, but I'm not sure if I'm being crazy. Is this crazy?

I can't imagine that it would be in your agent's interest to make you look insane or presumptuous. Plus, that sounds way cool.

Yeah. I know they get 10% of everything, but I'd think your average agent would already have sufficient 'insane' and 'presumptuous' and be going for the benjamins.

You know, if whitey can buy "tired old woman" better than they can accept "bad-ass activist" that's whitey's problem -- it doesn't take a thing from the courage of Rosa Parks.

No, not at all. But it does take something from people, kids especially, learning and understanding that setting out to change the world is possible - that people can accomplish great things, that it's not just a random occurrence. But for *some reason* the idea of Rosa Parks as activist rather than unwitting catalyst seems to unnerve some people.

well, i dont know for sure, but it wouldnt' surprise me if there was more to the story. It's like how there were several interracial couples in Virginia, but the Lovings were chosen as the named plaintiffs because it sounded so good -- Loving v. Virginia.

A timely one from the BRQG:

Rick V.: One year in graduate school I bought balloons in the standard colors used to illustrate carbon, hydrogen, etc. and attached them to my body in a particular pattern, going to the party as a serotonin molecule. At one point a group of neuroscientists posing as enzymes came over and popped particular balloons with pins, metabolizing me into 5-hydroxy-indoleacetic acid. For the rest of the night when people asked what I was supposed to be, I had to say "Uh, I came as an obscure metabolite of serotonin."

The next year I got an empty bicycle box, painted it, cut a hole at one end for my head, and went as Rorschach Card # III. I got less trouble from the neuroscientists that year, but I had to put up with behaviorists ridiculing my validity all night.

Polter-Cow: Oh my God. That is the best story ever.

Tom Scola: Thankfully, they didn't tape a Prozac molecule to the door, or you would never have been able to leave!

Does this sound overly insane and presumptuous? My agent says to of course go for it, but I'm not sure if I'm being crazy. Is this crazy?

No and no. I say go for it!

but the Lovings were chosen as the named plaintiffs because it sounded so good -- Loving v. Virginia.

Ha! I totally did not know that.

Happy Birthday, brenda!