Dipping into the email bag today, I see – perhaps to my surprise – that the war on both government and expertise appears to be continuing, although it’s possible this, like the bombs from World War II still found throughout Europe, is a leftover from the most recent metaphorical war.
Of course, it’s dressed up to deceive as a bit of down home humor; indeed, much like the use of children as suicide bombers (see, I can play dirty, too), its core appears to be a good piece, stolen for other purposes. Here it is.
Mensa Convention – Good One!
There was a Mensa convention in San Francisco. Mensa, as you probably know, is a national organization for people who have an IQ of 140 or higher. Several of the Mensa members went out for lunch at a local café.
When they sat down, one of them discovered that their salt shaker contained pepper, and their pepper shaker was full of salt. How could they swap the contents of the two bottles without spilling any, and using only the implements at hand? Clearly, this was a job for Mensa minds. The group debated the problem and presented ideas and finally, came up with a brilliant solution involving a napkin, a straw, and an empty saucer. They called the waitress over, ready to dazzle her with their solution.
“Ma’am,” they said, “we couldn’t help but notice that the pepper shaker contains salt and the salt shaker has pepper.” But before they could finish, the waitress interrupted: “Oh sorry about that.”
She leaned over the table, unscrewed the caps of both bottles and switched them.
There was dead silence at the Mensa table.
Kind of reminds you of Washington D.C., doesn’t it?
The emphasis is mine. What appears to be a light-hearted dig is actually a subtle manipulative maneuver, designed to convince those already suspicious of the Federal government that they’re right. It’s all in the bulk of the real humor, isn’t it? A conundrum, analyzed by the allegedly smart set, which is then solved by a waitress (who, by the implication that a waitress is also not particularly bright, is insulted into the bargain; a smart waitress would negate both the humor and the message of the missive). The problem is seen to be simple once viewed through the simple, down home wisdom of folks who lack the credentials other might have.
And, you know, credentials means expertise. Not only does the government take it in the teeth, the idea of experts is also dissed, a position sadly endorsed by Speaker of the House Paul Ryan.
Now, I could go on about nuclear weapons and justice and finding balance and North Korea, but I won’t, because someone else from another era said it so much better than I ever could, so I’ll defer to his facility with words. I quote, courtesy WikiQuote, H. L. Mencken:
… there is always a well-known solution to every human problem — neat, plausible, and wrong.
Or, in other words, governing is harder than you may think.
With that in mind, shall we give the humor above the proper finish?
The Mensa folk, being far too trusting, then proceeded to use their condiments. The one who tried to use the pepper found the holes were too large, and quickly a little mound of pepper ruined his french fries. Meanwhile, the salt failed to pass through the too small holes of its fresh topper, thus inadvertently saving its would-be users from a hypertensive heart attack they were otherwise doomed to experience.
See? It’s still easy to make fun of Mensa, but now we have a more accurate insinuation concerning government. And, hey, still having doubts about that whole expertise thing? Here, let me help you out. Got a car? Would you let a 10 year old work on its engine?
Didn’t think so.
