An old man was wondering if his wife had a hearing problem.
So one night, he stood behind her while she was sitting in her lounge chair. He spoke softly to her, “Honey, can you hear me?” There was no response. He moved a little closer and said again, “Honey, can you hear me?” Still, there was no response. Finally he moved right behind her and said, “Honey, can you hear me?” She replied, “For the third time, Yes!”
The second story I’ll share goes like this: a patient says, “Doctor, you’ve got to help me. Nobody ever listens to me. No one ever pays any attention to what I have to say!”
The doctor says, “Next, please.”
The first story depicts someone who can’t hear, and the second story shows someone who is not listening. Both problems seem to be common.
At a meeting I attended, the phrase “have a conversation” was used repeatedly. But what is a conversation?
If you’ve ever watched the proceedings in the House of Commons, you would become confused as to the definition. The ruling party and the opposition are given equal opportunities to talk, while the Speaker of the House presides. Speaking doesn’t necessarily mean a conversation is taking place; there needs to be listening as well. That’s where it becomes a problem in government, when one or both sides refuse to listen.
Maybe humor would get the conversation going between the two sides, and there definitely are two sides when it comes to politics. An example is a waiter who asked, “Dinner for two? Liberal or Conservative section?”
When the conservative comedy show “Last Man Standing” was cancelled, there was a huge protest. Some claimed it was cancelled because of its conservative perspective and political incorrectness.
In one episode, daughter Eve was getting in trouble for some of the comments she was posting about the government. One of the show’s characters defended her, saying she was just repeating the stuff she learned at home. But her dad immediately replied, “No, no no, she’s different. She’s an independent thinker. She comes to her own conclusions – that everything I say is right.”
Now, another network is bringing the show back on the air, so people can keep on having a laugh at the expense of the American government. But how about here in Canada?
Being funny is one of Canada’s claims to fame. Rick Mercer often made people laugh by quizzing Americans about Canada, as we listened to their funny and inept answers.
However, not long ago students at a Canadian university were asked if they were for or against women’s suffrage. They all said they were adamantly opposed to it, not realizing the term refers to the right of women to vote in political elections.
Where are those Canadian comedians who also possess common sense, values, and the skill of exaggerating without going into cruel attack mode? They might be able to help the two opposing sides begin to “have a conversation”, but only if we all are willing to laugh at ourselves.
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