… lend me your jerk!
Okay, I’d have to say this week’s JERK OF THE WEEK is definitely more in the “lovable, harmless” jerk category, which is fine—it doesn’t always have to be a total d-bag. What this gentleman did probably falls into the category of “delusions of grandeur” rather than “pure jerk,” although it’s how he went about what he did that qualifies him for this week’s recognition.
Meet this week’s JERK OF THE WEEK—
Lars Ahlkvist
Yes, the shiny armor is part of the story. A wonderful part.
See, Lars is the mayor of Hörby, Sweden, and recently, he decided to invest some of the town’s funds, some 600,000 Kronor—or about $91,584 American—on some public art in the form of a giant mural on the city council building ….
Of himself. Dressed as a Roman legionary.
Yes, you read that correctly. As you can see from his photo above, this was obviously a wise decision, as he cuts an … impressive … figure.
According to The Local.se:
Speaking with the Svenska Dagbladet (SvD) newspaper, Ahlkvist explained that Hörby has a “rich tradition of adornment”.
While he admitted that the only connection between Hörby and the Roman empire was “through the church”, Ahlkvist explained the mural was meant to connect the past with the present.
“In the painting, Jesus is escorted by a modern police officer,” he told SvD.
“We’ve got the Arab Spring, as well as a team of snapphane from Hörby,” he added, referring to 17th century pro-Danish guerrillas that fought against the Swedes.
Despite the controversy surrounding how the painting was funded, Ahlkvist emphasized that art should “prompt debate” and that the ensuing publicity could benefit the town.
“Clearly, Hörby has gotten a lot of attention and that is never a bad thing,” he said in reference to the mural-inspired media debate.
Well, if it includes Jesus *and* 17th-century pro-Danish guerrillas, well, of course that can’t be a bad thing. And if he used public money for a memorial to himself, all the better, right? Generations of Horbyvians … Horbyites? … Horbs? will now be able to remember the glorious tenure of Lars Ahlkvist—dreamer, mayor and jerk.
If you want to be read about jerks who have been immortalized for their bad behavior, you know whose book you can buy.