Didja ever try to explain a water fountain?

Jstas
Jstas Posts: 14,808
edited September 2010 in The Clubhouse
I was watching a comedian last night on the Intarwebs. Part of his act was talking about a trip he took to Africa. He had an anecdote that I cannot remember exactly but it's not very important. The thing about it was he was trying to describe to someone in Africa who had never even heard of the concept of the things he was trying to describe let alone the actual thing.

Well, that led him in to the meat of the joke and he asked "Did you ever try to explain a water fountain to someone from an impoverished country?" Then he went on to describe it. He said "Yeah, well, when we're done with all the fresh, clean water we need, we fill these fountains with it and let them squirt it up in the air only to let it fall to the ground. Yeah, they're just for decorations. Yeah, isn't that great? Then we take our spare change. Spare change is the money we have left over after we have already bought every single thing we could wish for. Yeah, we take that spare change and just...toss it in the fountain...to wish for...a better life."

Kind of put it in perspective about how good we have it. It's been running through my mind all day. Especially when walking up the street to my office and having to listen to homeless people curse me and call me all kinds of horrible things related to age, gender, race, sexual orientation and so on because I have none of that "spare change" to divvy out.

I'm not saying anyone has to be charitable nor am I imploring anyone to go out of their way to be charitable. I'm just sayin', be thankful. And if the water fountain example doesn't do it for you, think of something else that you would have to try to explain to someone who doesn't even have the "basics" then ask yourself the question "Why?" As in "What's the purpose?"
Expert Moron Extraordinaire

You're just jealous 'cause the voices don't talk to you!
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Comments

  • messiah
    messiah Posts: 1,790
    edited September 2010
    Funny, but true. Thank you.
    "They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety."
    Benjamin Franklin, February 17th, 1775.

    "The day that I have to give up my constitutional rights AND let some dude rub my junk...well, let's just say that it's gonna be a real bad day for the dude trying to rub my junk!!"
    messiah, November 23rd, 2010
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  • sucks2beme
    sucks2beme Posts: 5,601
    edited September 2010
    Not like explaining a technical problem to a MBA.
    "Gee, what's the problem? It can't be that hard to fix."
    Yes, that was the response during a meeting. They know everything.

    I remember support engineers going to China in the mid 80's having to
    give a week long class in basic hand tools and their uses. They were
    supposed to show them how to maintain new equipment they were sold,
    But it ended up going real basic!
    "The legitimate powers of government extend to such acts only as are injurious to others. But it does me no injury for my neighbour to say there are twenty gods, or no god. It neither picks my pocket nor breaks my leg." --Thomas Jefferson
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  • bobman1235
    bobman1235 Posts: 10,822
    edited September 2010
    Kind of reminds me of Adam Carolla's 1780's Guy, where he tries to explain modern things to a guy from the 1780's.
    If you will it, dude, it is no dream.
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  • Danny Tse
    Danny Tse Posts: 5,206
    edited September 2010
    Oh....that kind of water fountain. I was thinking of the kind from where you drink water.

    I had the opportunity to explain to someone in mainland China about the drinking kind of water fountain. Water that's clean enough to drink out of a nozzle or facet is still a foreign idea to many over there. This person told me that the idea of a drinking water fountain will never work in China, "People would just spit into it."

    Sigh
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  • ben62670
    ben62670 Posts: 15,969
    edited September 2010
    I used a public water fountain as a bidet.
    Please. Please contact me a ben62670 @ yahoo.com. Make sure to include who you are, and you are from Polk so I don't delete your email. Also I am now physically unable to work on any projects. If you need help let these guys know. There are many people who will help if you let them know where you are.
    Thanks
    Ben
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  • messiah
    messiah Posts: 1,790
    edited September 2010
    ben62670 wrote: »
    I used a public water fountain as a bidet.

    At least you didn't use a bidet as a water fountain! :p
    "They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety."
    Benjamin Franklin, February 17th, 1775.

    "The day that I have to give up my constitutional rights AND let some dude rub my junk...well, let's just say that it's gonna be a real bad day for the dude trying to rub my junk!!"
    messiah, November 23rd, 2010
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  • headrott
    headrott Posts: 5,496
    edited September 2010
    Ben! You shouldn't have said that. You must be getting ideas from Russ aren't you?;):)

    Greg
    Relayer-Big-O-Poster.jpg
    Taken from a recent Audioholics reply regarding "Club Polk" and Polk speakers:
    "I'm yet to hear a Polk speaker that merits more than a sentence and 60 seconds discussion." :\
    My response is: If you need 60 seconds to respond in one sentence, you probably should't be evaluating Polk speakers.....

    "Green leaves reveal the heart spoken Khatru"- Jon Anderson

    "Have A Little Faith! And Everything You'll Face, Will Jump From Out Right On Into Place! Yeah! Take A Little Time! And Everything You'll Find, Will Move From Gloom Right On Into Shine!"- Arthur Lee
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  • tonyb
    tonyb Posts: 32,953
    edited September 2010
    Ya know...if I ever found myself in a situation where I had to explain what a water fountain was....I'd close my eyes, click my heels 3 times, and say "I want to go home".
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  • LessisNevermore
    LessisNevermore Posts: 1,519
    edited September 2010
    messiah wrote: »
    At least you didn't use a bidet as a water fountain! :p

    No, but the next guy in line behind Ben did.
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  • shadowofnight
    shadowofnight Posts: 2,735
    edited September 2010
    messiah wrote: »
    At least you didn't use a bidet as a water fountain! :p

    Damn you , I was trying to keep my brand new computer chair clean for at least a week....at 6 days it now has coffee on the left armrest :D



    On topic , that water fountain example really does show us how good we really have it.....if you had a translator...and explained how the fountain worked....here is what the translator would say the person said back to you...

    Picture Eddie Murphy saying

    " Get the F*^& outta here " in that voice/accent of his...and of course that smile too :p



    Then again, there are other things being taught to africans using our money that would really make you say " Get the F*^& outta here "

    http://cnsnews.com/news/article/75198
    The first rule of Fight Club is you don't talk about Fight Club
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