It’s a sad thing, really.
I’ll explain: I walked into a grocery store near my parents’ house to buy a carton of cigarettes. The cashier and bagger were both very young girls, who obviously did not smoke, so I figured I’d have to explain a couple of things to get what I want. That’s all good and fine, but it seems that sarcastic jokes totally fly over their heads. Is this just not something that kids know these days? Here’s the exchange:
Me: Can I get a carton of 27′s, please?
Cashier: …?
Me: Marlboro 27. Blend 27? They’re in a brown-ish packaging.
Cashier: Oh, okay. [to bagger] Can you get a box of 27′s?
Bagger: …
Cashier and Me: Marlboro.
Bagger: Oh, okay. [she returns with box] I was like, “27 of…?”
Me: Yeah, I realize that was vague.
Cashier: And there are so many different kinds it’s hard to know which is what.
Me: Yeah. Actually, they call them 27′s because they contain an uneven number of 27 cigarettes in each pack.
Bagger and Cashier: [nod]…
Me: … And that… is a complete lie.
Bagger and Cashier: …
Me: … because that would be ridiculous…
Bagger and Cashier: …
Cashier: Ok, here’s your receipt, have a nice night!
Me: Thanks, you, too.
What I know happened after that is that my failed attempt to communicate sarcasm, the sarcasm that had fallen on oblivious ears, is now the butt of adolescent teenage girl joke. Do kids not get sarcasm anymore? Isn’t that the basis of their television experience? Man, semantics in cadence are as good as dead these days.
In other news, LA is finally getting a little bit of overcast and foggy in the morning. It doesn’t happen often, but I enjoy it when it does. From my phone, on the way to work:
You should submit that to “Sightings.”
…..if that show’s still on the air, that is.
OMFG, i freaking KNEW it!
They know that fred is working on the x files and they’re looking for him!!!
NO FRED, GET OUT WHILE YOU CAN.
NICO, IT’S UP TO YOU TO SAVE HIM!!!
PRESS “A”!!!!!!!!!