Friday, March 9, 2012

LC: Keeping it Old School

The young man wanted a DVD, not a book, on how to rap. He was probably a freshman in college, fresh-faced, well-groomed and handsome in a way that suggested that most things were given to or done for him. The word insouciant came to mind. In short, just the sort of person we think of when we think "rapper." Sadly, we didn't have any videos like that at all. We did have two books, believe it or not, on the subject, but that both books were checked out. Evidently, the poor lad has been the target of many confidence tricksters in the past and has finally learned his lesson because he asked me three times if I was kidding him. The first time I told him that I was not kidding him. The second time, I said "nope." The third time I told him that asking me would not make any videos appear. I offered him the books, but the look of distaste he shot me before stalking off said it all. But my main point has to do with the subject headings for these books. I still look at subject headings and still find them occasionally useful. They can be annoying, like the subject heading for longshoremen. (That's your LC test for today: what's the subject heading for longshormen? Hint: it's not longshorepersons, but it's equally dumb.) They are also occasionally hilarious, as it was with this one:
Not silly enough for you? Then take this little quiz. What item do the following subject headings describe?