The fun thing about living in the End Times is the way that evil is so obvious that it's ridiculous. Who could be so mean-spirited as not to enjoy the above photo?
Archbishop Justin Welby is as ridiculous-looking a man as any in public life. His weak, spiteful, dopey face is simply a product of his inner nature; but he must take be allowed to get personal credit for the choice of vestments with their many horrible features.
Most obviously the colours... what could be more approriate than those yellows? And the red cuffs and maroon collar are master strokes of visual incompetence!
Especially fitting are the subtle references to flames rising from hell to engulf him... but - in line with the true man - even these are feeble, blueish, calor gas type flamelets.
Taken in toto this is a perfect get-up for a person of Welby's type - not one of Satan's savage predators; but a runtish puppy; pathetically eager to serve his demonic masters; hoping and expecting to be petted and pampered for loyal service to the anti-Christian mission; but in practice merely pricked, kicked and mocked for his bumbling ineptitude.
This post is an homage to Bad Vestments, a website that provoked many a 'supertruth laugh' until it became inactive some six years ago - well worth a browse...
The trio of dolphins on his hat deserve special mention.
ReplyDeleteDolphins have many admirable attributes, but a trio of them signifies admiration of a specific feature of dolphin sexuality popularized in the counter-culture a few decades ago.
Using them in a symbolic reference to the Trinity is an intentional inside joke. Though I suspect Welby did not make or design this vesture himself, and thus possibly is not fully in on it.
I didn't know you could be this funny, Bruce. Great post!
ReplyDeleteThe only thing there that isn't absurd is the crook. Is that a hint?
ReplyDeleteTo paraphrase Oscar Wilde, one must have a heart of stone to look at Welby’s get-up without laughing.
ReplyDeleteThe face and vestments (even in this parodic form) are so incongruous to each other I get the sense as though this isn't a real picture... my eyes interpreted it as though a mid-ranked professor or MP, normally photographed in a modern suit, got the idea to stick his head into one of those fairground cardboard cutouts.
ReplyDeleteYou know... this sort of thing... https://www.vianneyvocations.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/For-web-monk.jpg
I'm pretty sure they're fish, CCL, not dolphins, though maybe frogs would have been most appropriate (Revelation 16:13).
ReplyDeleteAccording to the press at the time Welby became archbishop, the vestment design is supposed to have been inspired by the miracle of the wedding at Cana. Apparently the blue and purple squiggles represent the water of life being transformed into Kool-Aid.
Bad Vestments regarded it as a general rule that, when it comes to flames, *directionality* is a vital factor to be taken into consideration:
ReplyDeletehttps://badvestments.blogspot.com/search?q=flames
Those are definitely counter-culture dolphins.
ReplyDeleteThe lavender accents are also telling, but it's not like there is much to that on its own.