Is he:
[ul]
[li]a unique individual?[/li][li]eccentric?[/li][li]a nut?[/li][li]none of the above?[/li][/ul]
e.
Paul Simon, ex-senator ® of Illinois
Ok, that WAS what I thought of though. Anyone remember HIM? Exactly my point!
Actually I own three bow ties and only one neck tie, but people generally think I’m an eccentric, unique, nut. (couldn’t those all mean the same thing?)
Just a bowtie…?
For almost twenty years, a guy in a bowtie would make me think along Freudian lines:[ul][li]Tie = Phallic SymbolBowtie = Symbol of repressed sexuality[/ul][/li]
More recently, even the barest suggestion of a bowtie makes me think of Tucker Carlson, and I have to work very hard at repressing the urge to do terrible things to the wearer’s face with a fork.
So, over the years, that particular style of decorative neckwear has gone from inspiring contempt and pity to murderous rage. I’m comfortable with that.
I was flipping through channels about a month ago and there was a guy debating on CNN wearing a bow tie, maybe in his thirties or so, not sure of his political standings or anything, and I just sat there, thinking, he has on a bow-tie. How fucking cool is that. (And no…not just a bow-tie, Cyn ;)). It made him look very confident, comfortable with himself, and really set him appart from the other people he was on the show with…none of whom I can remember at all now. But bow-tie man, he left a lasting impression.
I think some guys can pull it off. Oh, and to answer the OP: I pick e). both a, b, and c.
Aaargh! Mudd SMASH!
a unique individual?
eccentric?
a nut?
All of the above
I’d also wonder if perhaps he’d lost some kind of bet.
Larry Mudd, you snuck in there while I was battling this thing into accepting my reply. I like that Freudian slant! Although…you could also make an argument for:
- Tie=compensation for phallic inadequacy/feelings of inadequacy
- Bowtie=well-adjusted to level of endowment
On Preview: It’s okay, LM, he’s gone. The bowtie man will never see air-time again. Breathe. Breathe. Think soothing thoughts. Think of ties. Ascots. Frilly cravats. It’ll be all right.
Dude, he’s there every day, and I’m sure that his little red bowtie is mainly there as a vain attempt to distract people from his total inability to engage in reasoned debate. You didn’t happen to see him today, blithely asserting that no-one has found the 25,000 liters of Iraqi anthrax referred to in the State-of-the-Union address because the Iraqis “used them to kill people.”?
I had no idea he was a regular. Sorry for the false promises.
No, I didn’t see him today…I rarely watch debates, actually, though I do listen to them on the radio occasionally, and try to catch the actual news. All I can say is the bowtie disguise certainly fooled me for the fifteen minutes I tuned in, if only because of its distractive qualities.
And if he makes claims like that regularly, by all means, SMASH away.
I think of Chippendales male exotic dancers! 
Outside of a tux, where it’s perfectly acceptable, I think a guy in a bowtie is either 1) Old (Orville Reddenbacker) or 2) Some dork trying to show his nifty sense of “fashion”.
I wear a bow tie occasionally, and yes, I admit to being a 19-year-old dork trying to show his nifty sense of “fashion.” I think they look cool, and it’s also easier to tie than a regular tie.
And that CNN dude is a jackass.
I think of Bill Nye the Science Guy, an amazing spectacle of humanity if ever there was one.
I have decided that when I can tie a bow tie with one hand, I will be awesome.
Well, that would be awesomely impressive but, since I don’t believe it’s possible with a human hand, it would also be scary.
I think the OP left out the two most common/obvious choices;[ul]
[li]Goober[/li][li]Dork[/li][/ul]
A bowtie makes me think “This is a guy who needs a gimmick to stand out from the crowd. For whatever reason, he feels he’s not interesting or important enough to command attention from other people, so he dons a bowtie hoping that people will think 'Hey look! A bowtie! This guy is fresh! Funky! A free spirit! A lone wolf! A maverick! A fashion kamikaze! Let’s listen to him’ He fills me with pity.”
I recognize this assessment may not be altogether fair. But until I see evidence to the contrary, I’m going to assume this pegs Tucker Carlson pretty well.
A geek.
Or a dork.
Take your pick.
He likes to fight. If your opponent can get his hands on your bow tie, then he might as well grab your throat. With a regular neck tie, you are presenting a target that is much easier to get your hands on. If he’s wearing an ascot, I assume that he’s a swinger.
A bow tie has its place. Outside of eveningwear, that place is round the neck of a middle-aged scientist or a surgeon, where it has an obvious practical purpose in not trailing in blood or acid. Young scientists don’t seem to wear ties.
Anybody in any other profession is a phoney would-be eccentric. Unless he is over 60, rich and coiffed in a spectacularly erratic yet sculptural fashion. Worst of all are the young fogeys, would-be old-school conservatives aged under 45, who think bow ties make them look like members of the 19th century landed gentry rather than circus entertainers.
If he is only wearing a bowtie I would call him “sexy” <wink>