Wednesday, November 03, 2010

Peas



One of my students - who’s quite dyslexic - was wearing a t-shirt with this picture on it today.

“Oh, that’s rather funny,” I said.

He gazed down at himself. “Funny?”

“Well, you know,” I said feebly. “It’s a pun.”

“Is it?” Pause. “I just bought it because I’m a vegetarian.”

It was one of those conversations that you wish you’d never started, but I had, so I continued: “It’s like - Give peace a chance.”

Light dawned. “Oh, I see!”

Encouraged, I went on, “The John Lennon song.”

No, it’s all right; he didn’t actually say “John Lennon?” but he did say, “What song?”

Sometimes I feel very old.

14 comments:

  1. Oh for Pete's sake, how young was he? Four????? (Not that I am now also feeling old after reading that, you understand.)

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  2. Not just a matter of age, I fear.... Poor you, having to drum some ejication into him......

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  3. Perhaps you have students who are born under rocks??? Or do you supposed it's the damp weather? I think it's hysterical that he didn't get the whole meaning for which that shirt was marketed!

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  4. It's actually pretty funny that someone would wear that shirt because they really thought it meant to give PEAS a chance!

    AHHAHAHAHAAAHHHHH!

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  5. So funny, he did want to give peas a chance.

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  6. I have heard your son-in-law singing that song with all sorts of things substituted for "peas", so the young(ish) aren't totally ignorant.

    I have a photographic postcard which says "Peas on Earth". Spelt out in peas, on earth.

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  7. Anonymous1:04 am

    Vicky/East Texas...Hahahahaha...lol.lol! I don't know why, but right now that is the funniest story I've heard in a while. It just makes the old tummy jiggle with laughter. Thanks! (Hmm, sorry, I just reread this...not a very pretty word picture, is it?)

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  8. I should show that shirt to my vegetable-shunning children. Never mind John Lennon, give peas a chance. And broccoli, give broccoli a chance too.

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  9. Thanks for making me smile:-)

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  10. Did the student want peas to be excluded from being eaten, did he feel that the feelings of peas would be hurt by not being eaten, or did he think that peas would feel insulted at not being eaten? He sounds like a confused lad to me.

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  11. Anonymous12:41 pm

    Surely being a vegetarian means that you are giving peas no chance at all...

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  12. Oh dear... I don't think I should even comment on this one. I wondered what you meant about the pun. I don't remember a song called Give Peace a Chance" (I do remember John Lennon though) and if I did, I still wouldn't connect it with Peas. I can't understand how anyone could confuse peas with peace. I mean, they SOUND different. Peazzz and Peasssse.
    I really am too old for some of this. I just wrote on my blog that I knew what Hi Fi was, but Wi Fi is a complete mystery to me. (This came about because my computer is 10 years old and nothing more than a glorified typewriter according to the young man who tried to sell me a new one).

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  13. Good on you for interacting with the young'un...and for being in the edumacashun business....must be encouraging sometimes.

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  14. Oh my, the poor lad.
    Hilarious :)

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