Strip Mined

I often misinterpret things. I hear something and take it to mean the exact opposite. I dissect the sentence looking for the correct meaning. Was there a double negative in there that made me take it the wrong way? Is it a dissonance with a homonym? Like, is my fridge wearing running shoes? The other day I had one of the dorkiest misinterpretations ever. Ashamed I kept it to myself, until I confided in Todd in an unguarded moment as we rode together to work the other day.

One day I was listening to NPR on the way to work, and there was some discussion about whether minors be allowed to strip in Rhode Island. Of course, I took it to mean “miners” instead of “minors” and thought, “Seriously? Is this really a problem? Why can’t a miner strip? I mean, if they can’t make enough money mining coal they should be able to dance, right? Who are we to say what a miner down on her luck can and can’t do? This is America, dammit!”

No, of course the controversy pertains to minors. As in people under the age of 18.

Which is a good thing, because I would think that pickaxes, shovels and the stripper’s pole would be a lethal combination.