Lesson Five: No, We Didn't Invent Stupidity
There once was a respected organization named the National Association Opposed to Woman Suffrage. In a letter it issued in 1917, this group made the argument that if women got the vote, they would tend to "pester" the government with their petty concerns. Among the signatories was a Mrs. Robert Lansing, wife of the U.S. secretary of state.
(Eric Shansby)
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Lesson Six: Stereotypes Can Be Fun
During World War II, the U.S. government carried out a covert operation based upon the assumption that the Germans were comically devoted to order and discipline. When we bombed German trains, we also dropped upon the wreckage German-looking mailbags filled with sealed letters to ordinary German citizens. The letters contained anti-Nazi propaganda. We theorized that the German authorities, finding unopened mail, would unquestioningly deliver it. They did.
Lesson Seven: Humor Tours Can End Abruptly
Days after the end of the Civil War, a court-martial appeal was brought to the president. A young soldier had twice deserted from his unit -- a hanging offense in wartime -- yet there was some evidence that he was mentally disturbed. Atop the document, Abraham Lincoln wrote, mercifully: "This man is pardoned and hereby ordered to be discharged." Then he signed and dated it, "April 14, 1865." It may have been his final act, before heading off to the theater.
Gene Weingarten's e-mail address is weingarten@washpost.com.
Chat with him online Tuesdays at noon at www.washingtonpost.com.
