Sending a Message

I would imagine that if you could understand Morse code, a tap dancer would drive you crazy.
~ Mitch Hedberg

In the past, there have been a number of subtle ways of sending someone a message. Fans, for instance. Or flowers.

When Madeleine Albright was Secretary of State, she wore pins that suited her mood. It started when Saddam Hussein referred to her as a "serpent." She decided to wear a snake pin while she was dealing with Iraq, just for fun. I love that attitude -- might as well amuse yourself. And maybe send a message at the same time.

For instance, when talks were moving too slowly, Albright might wear a turtle or a crab. She could indicate optimism with a balloon. Wasps would show a little sting. In 1999, when they found out that the Russians had planted a listening device in the State Dept., she wore an insect (bug) pin for their next meeting.

So I thought, what if I wore pins that way? What pins would I collect for my diplomatic arsenal and what would they express? Below are some possibilities. I will leave the interpretation of their meanings up to you :-)

Spider in a Web

Edward Gorey's Doubtful Guest

Greetings Dove Pin

Otter Spirit
by Stephanie Jordan

Firecracker

Bittersweet
by Michael Michaud

Ampersand
by Anna

Zombiehead
by Mealymonster

The NPR interview with Madeleine Albright about her pins
The Albright pin collection
Her book, Read My Pins