"Abbott & Costello Doing Who's On First" by slgckgc is licensed under under CC BY 2.0
Recently I had the chance to experience a live rendition of the evergreen comic masterpiece, "Who's On First?" by Bud Abbott and Lou Costello. I had forgotten how restorative it is to share in collective laughter! And while it's not the same as being in a roomful of friends, if you need a good laugh right now, head over to YouTube and watch this work of genius. I'll wait. . .
I am certain there have been many pages written and much ink spilled parsing precisely why Abbott & Costello's brand of comedy works so exceptionally well here. But I'd like to offer that it hits a little too close to home by reflecting much of our own miscommunication. We don't want to admit that, of course: we would never be as dense as Lou. And if we were in Bud's place, talking to someone that confused, surely we would try to figure out why.
But don't we find ourselves having this type of conversation, over and over? Where we find out, after the fact, that our conversation partners have been using terms in markedly different ways than we have? Sometime hilarity ensues, but usually we end up with a mess on our hands.
To assume that you are always speaking the same language, using words in the same way as those around you is, in fact. . . absurd--as anyone who has sat through a jargon-filled meeting can attest. Bud and Lou could have cut to the chase if one of them had just stopped and asked, "When you say "who," are you asking a question? " and "How are you using 'what' here?" Confusion is possible even with commonly used words and phrases. There can be many variations that stem from occupational, regional, generational, and a whole host of differences.
So next time you feel "silly" seeking clarification, ask yourself: am I doing a comedy routine or do I really want to connect?
