21
Mar
The Arthur Kronenberg Jr Methamphetamine Laboratory
How did the media arrive at calling meth labs “meth labs?” I suppose in a very superficial way a laboratory and a “meth lab” share some characteristics, what with chemicals and bottles strewn about. Beyond that, though, where is the similarity? On the one hand, you’ve got people in lab coats and goggles bustling about with beakers in their hands, atomic clocks ticking and centrifuges spinning, and on the other you’ve got completely fucked up Jethros crushing sudafed tablets and mixing them with paint thinner. I guess “meth pool” or “meth pit” or “little town of Methlehem” didn’t sound quite right to whoever coined the expression.
“Meth lab.” That term is evocative of nothing. It’s just shorthand for “several unwashed rednecks one step away from a sorry end getting together to expedite the process.” Substitute your brand of ne’er-do-well for “redneck,” depending on where you live.
