Dealing With Stupid People [Tuesday, July 10, 2nd period]

[professor-lyman.livejournal.com]

Josh was still not exactly comfortable with the whole "being outside" thing as he perched on a picnic bench and smiled at the students as they assembled. In deference to the ridiculously hot weather, he was wearing short sleeves and khakis. No tie. Scary, no?

"Okay, one of the most annoying things you will encounter in your life will be other people," he began, rolling his eyes. "Most of us -- in my universe, anyway, some of you might have other experiences -- can't kill them by using our brains, so we have to come up with different coping methods. We'll get to the more advanced techniques -- sarcasm, the strategic use of an eye roll -- later, but today we'll start out with something that gives you a lot of chance to practice before you send out the final product."

He pulled out a sheaf of papers and dropped it onto the table. "Writing back to stupid people!" he said triumphantly. "In this exercise you need to reply to these obviously deranged letters in a polite way without asking if they've thought to seek professional help for their delusions. There are five different letters so pair up with a partner -- it's better to double check your language against someone else, at least at the beginning -- and write back to these completely insane people."

Josh grinned. "Questions? Problems? I don't really care, but ask anyway."

Comments

Re: Letter #1

[notajar]

Door reads the first letter while waiting for a partner, then reads it again. Then wonders if it would make more sense translated into Pigeon and back.

The conversation that between the tin of theory the heat of these ladies on the way is had passed, I apprehend, little it in value only relati that they in steel of bohémians immediately proceeded to itself include the sense, and left laugh of Jones and young partridges of heat with muddy h of this conformation, the dog therefore carries out, which the Irish, head couple balanced that Sophia done to the city, hath have introduced already.

...Almost.

English to French to Dutch to English, for the record.

Re: Letter #1

[falcon-or-blade.livejournal.com]

Faile sat next to Door. "I recognize the words, but they make no sense," she said, mostly to herself.

Re: Letter #1

[notajar]

"It reads a bit like my bird speaks," Door comments, peering at the original and at her translation. "Except she makes more sense, and she was taught to talk by someone who doesn't speak Pigeon."

Re: Letter #1

[falcon-or-blade.livejournal.com]

"A pigeon that speaks," Faile repeated. "That is something I should just add to the list of things I should just accept as different from home, isn't it?"

Re: Letter #1

[notajar]

"She speaks Pigeon, if badly; I suppose the odd thing here is that I do as well." Door shrugs one shoulder and grins. "I'm Door, by the way."

Re: Letter #1

[falcon-or-blade.livejournal.com]

Faile grinned back. "I am called Faile," she said. "It's nice to meet you."

Re: Letter #1

[notajar]

"And you." Door tilts her head at the letter again. "How do you think we're meant to reply to it, if we can't make any sense of it?"

Re: Letter #1

[falcon-or-blade.livejournal.com]

Faile looked down her nose at the letter. "I think the sender is insane and we should track them down and get them help from a healer."