where have all the freaks gone?

i was driving through spokane last week and i saw a sign announcing that the carnival was back in town.
remember the carnival? cotton candy, riding the rides til you puked? the not-so-scarey house of horrors? or how about the greasy carni guys that your mother warned you stay away from?

carnival - carne vale - latin meaning farewell to the flesh. (don't you just love latin?)
they used to put on such a good show. now it's just everyday stuff.
300 pound woman - see that at walmart all the time
the tattooed man - everyone has tattoos these days
siamese twins - now we call them conjoined and there are documentaries about them on tv
the bearded lady- hello! cross dressers!!!
my point (if i have one) is that what used to be abnormal or freakish is now run-of-the-mill ordinary and mundane. there was a time when the aforementioned were oohed and ahhed over, where you had to pay money to see them and children's eyes were sometimes covered.
our tolerance levels have increased, which is a good thing, but still, wouldn't you like to be shocked or amazed, pay your penny and ooh and ahh? there are no more freaks, just people being people.
we need a good old fashioned carnival. maybe in a year or two when all the radiation that has leaked into the pacific ocean causes all the marine life to mutate, we will be able to display the 6 eyed fish and the double headed squids. then we will get our own chance to ooh and ahh .
until then, i'm still on the look-out for the invisible man.