Arnold Kling wrote a very nice article, “The Aphorisms of Merle Kling,” about his father in “In My Tribe” today. I particularly liked the joke that the elder Mr. Kling heard around the Political Science Department at Washington University, where he spent his whole career:
“What’s the difference between a lady and a diplomat?
If a lady says no, she means maybe. If she says maybe, she means yes. And if she says yes, then she is no lady.
If a diplomat says yes, then he means maybe. If he says maybe, then he means no. And if he says no, then he is no diplomat.”
Obviously, this joke would be considered totally inappropriate today. Which is one reason we have so little humor today: you can’t be inappropriate.
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