Hayek's odd sense of humor

I'm pretty out there when it comes to doing silly stuff, but Hayek, I think, has me beat here.

Whoa! You think you know a straightlaced Austrian, then one day you see...that!

Although it was the '70s.

The picture is starting to make the rounds on the net. Greg Ransom, the webmaster for Taking Hayek Seriously, even quotes our venerable Carny.

The typical reaction to this photograph is one of uncomfortable amusement.

Fame!

I would say "uncomfortable amusement" nails it.

Wow, that must be a gentle bull! I grew up on a farm, and wouldn't have that much nerve! I suspect that he actually just has his hand behind the animal or something.

Well, yeah, I hope so! If he actually grabbed its balls, that's really weird!

I think a lot of us have a tendency to place Hayek on a platform that sits well above the human race, well above the normal failings of the average man. I also think that platform obscures the fact that Hayek was a real human being with real human attributes, such as an instinct for humor of the moment (ooohh! So Hayekian!)

Seeing him grab a bull by the balls really brings home the idea that he was, in fact, human.