Saturday, July 10, 2010

While paging through the Times...

...this morning, I came across this piece, "In the Hamptons, Going Against the Tide." It's about some woman named Evelyn Konrad, who:

...has achieved a level of notoriety for her relentless and unapologetic campaign against a sacred cow in [Southampton, New York]: luxury real estate.

But this post isn't about Ms. Konrad. And it isn't about Southampton. It isn't even about real estate. What caught my eye was this paragraph near the end (my emphasis):

Last I looked, this is America and nothing forbids no one from subdividing their property if it’s within the law,” Mr. Robinson’s lawyer, Gilbert G. Flanagan, said in an interview. “If you have a beef with the law, change it. I haven’t seen her file a lawsuit that seeks to do that.”

And that reminds me of something my son once told me. Some comedian said that if you are ever in an argument -- doesn't matter whether your opponent is arguing from the left, right, or center -- and you find yourself getting pummeled beyond all recognition, you can always pull this phrase out of your back pocket as a game-changer:

"Yeah, well the last time I checked, this was still the United States of America!"

Your opponent -- dumbfounded -- will immediately shut up, let you up off the ground, and anyone standing around listening will break into applause at the brilliance of your riposte. It doesn't matter what you're arguing about or how ridiculous your position -- you've suddenly snatched victory from the jaws of defeat and your opponent will be forced to slink away with his tail between his legs. Meanwhile, everyone else will offer to buy you a drink and you'll get a date with the pretty girl.

Try it sometime. It's foolproof!

No comments: