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(47)
Similarly, whenever we Americans start taking ourselves
a bit too seriously, a grassroots humor seems to rise and strew
banana peels in our path. The movement is usually led by professionals:
(48) Mark
Twain penlancing the boils of pomposity (“Man was made at the end of the
week’s work, when God was tired.”); Will Rogers deflating our law-makers
(49)(“The
oldest boy became a congressman, and the second son turned out no good,
too.”); Bill Mauldin needling fatuous officers (One 2nd lieutenant
to another, on observing a beautiful sunset: “Is there one for enlisted
men, too?” ). (50)
Such masters of comic deflation restore the balance.
They bring us back to ourselves.
When life has us in a tight
corner, one of the first questions we might ask is, “Can I solve this with
a laugh?” Men with giant responsibilities have frequently used this approach
to giant problems --- often with sweeping effect. As Gen. George C. Marshall,
U. S. Army Chief of Staff, labored to prepare this then-unready nation to
enter World War II, he met stiff opposition from his
(51)Commander-in-Chief
regarding the elements that called for the most bolstering Marshall felt
that what we needed most were highly developed ground forces. President
Roosevelt was a navy man who believed that our principal need was for a
powerful navy, plus a large air force. In increasingly tense (52)debates
with the President, Marshall pushed his argument so hard that he began to
foster ever stronger resistance. Finally, during a particularly hot session,
the usually stonefaced Marshall forced a grin. “At least, Mr. President,”
he said, “You might stop referring to the Navy as ‘us’ and the Army as ‘them’.” |
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English
Intensive Reading 
Introduction
