Scary ugly.

The "magician" sells the trick by first trying a shorter woman who convienently isn't usable for the act, then just by chance a woman who is tall enough to lay back on the bench volunteers. This volunteer is and always has been two people, who merely hide their game of piggyback with some costume and makeup. The extra sell is the look on the woman's upper half as she crawls away: sheer horror. I know that whenever I am torn in two I tend to grimace.

The public has fallen for this same sort of thing from the media time and time again, often willingly. Just remember: everyone is trying to sell you something.

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SPECIAL COMMENT UPDATE: I'd like to add that while the offended upper half crawls away (which adds to the macabre effect that something occurred that was so awful and shocking a believable response would be to "exit stage left") the truth is that, unless you're like the now opposed Clinton/Obama camps, you would seek to rejoin with the rest of your body. A chilling sequence at the top of "Children of Men" has a woman exiting a just-bombed shop holding a detached arm in her other arm--numbed by the blast, she hangs on to herself if for no other reason than it is her arm and not to be left behind. Also, think of Jackie Kennedy scrambling to put part of her husband's skull back where it was. Truly, we could all learn a democratic and progressive message from her response on November 22nd, 1963: truly, we probably never will.

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Does that mean I'm not getting a pony?

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"Real ponies don't oink" - Patrick McManus

...it's just that during shipping your pony was torn in two. You will be receiving a duo of somewhat smaller animals. I think they're from the GOP because both of them are assholes.

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