I missed the beginning, but apparently there was a discussion going on outside my office about how to make a mango-strawberry margarita. They decide to ask Bernie, the CCO. Coming out into the hall, he jokes, "Exactly which part has anything to do with compliance, the mango or the margarita?"
Joining in the fun, I call out from my office, "The margarita: definitely a matter for compliance."
No one says anything.
He thinks, pauses, and says, "Well, I guess if you want compliance, margaritas are the way to go."
They laugh. The receptionist says, "Oh, that's clever, Bernie." And they riff a couple lines on the compliance/margarita meme.
Wait. That's clever? He took the joke that I just made and dumbed it down. That's the opposite of clever. Sure, maybe his line was the one that got the laughs. That just makes him funny, not clever.
Note for next time: a little less Leconte, a little more Mencia.
