A lesson in allegorical discretion from Kathleen...

Wow. You all must read comment number 4 on this post.

This is the coolest I've ever seen in terms of trying to tell a confidential story in allegory... Kathleen uses two toes on different feet as allegories to tell a story about god knows what... Comment number 4 is a must read on this post: "I Hate Confrontation".

Kathleen graces the blogosphere with such a cool, personal blog... so personal that it is hard to talk about certain things as her students, colleagues and weirdos like me read her blog. I've got my own ideas about what this allegory refers to... but I'll keep that to myself. Here's a taste:

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There are these two toes, see. They’re on different feet, and in somewhat different positions, but they bear much in common, not least of which is their role in walking. Also, neither of them is the big toe.

In order to improve their ability to walk, they (and all the other toes) have decided to get a new pair of shoes. Toe #1, in addition to walking, also runs, and so wants to get running shoes, which can also be used for walking. Toe #2 understands why toe #1 likes to run, but isn’t a runner itself, and is committed to walking as a serious form of exercise. Accordingly, toe #2 would like to have some shoes that are walking-specific, perhaps even sandals that allow it to feel the breeze and smell the flowers.

In the shoe-buying meeting, in which it becomes clear that a pair of running shoes will likely be purchased, toe #1 asks toe #2 whether such shoes will accomodate its needs, displaying appropriate concern about those needs, but in so doing makes a disparaging comment about walking for exercise that deeply offends toe #2. Toe #2 has heard such comments from most of the other toes repeatedly over the last few years, and has finally had enough; it combusts, yelling that walking is an important form not only of exercise but also of transportation, and that it’s tired of hearing that walking is too slow to be serious. [...]