I don't get the pie-in-the-face thing. You know, conservative pundit/captain of industry/politician makes speech, "activist" screams uninteligible slogan, hits speaker in the face with pie or some other sloppy food item. "Activist" is arrested, speaker makes witty remarks and either leaves to clean up or soldiers on to finish remarks and take questions.
It's happened to, just to name a few, Bill Gates, Ann Coulter, Pat Buchanan, Bill Kristol and most recently, David Horowitz. As I understand it the practice started in Europe a few years ago.
But I don't understand the point. Other than being just, well, rude. If anything, it brings sympathy to some pretty unsympathetic characters. Even conservatives probably have a hard time generating warm feelings toward jackasses like Buchanan and Horowitz, but every time I see this pie thing even I feel some empathy toward the bastards.
I understand that in the right context a pie in the face is funny. Certainly the practice isn't harmful. But it just seems like the absolute height of poor manners. And you know what? It makes a lot of people -- let's call them "swing voters, shall we? -- very uncomfortable.
What's the point? We have nothing to resort to intellectually? And the best show of force we can make is a friggin' pie? So the message to the uninformed viewer seems to be that the opponents of Horowitz, Kristol, whoever, are unable to articulate a coherent opposition message and are too wimpy to bring more than a pie to the fight?
Is it like streaking? It's a fun fad that's only fun 'cause it's illegal? Please, somebody help me understand why this is a form of activism worthy of a the "ink" it gets here and elsewhere. Thanks, and feel free to flame away if necessary.