I remember a (bad) old joke that was a favorite tool of speech teachers. A man in the Old West accepts a ride on a wagon pulled by a mule. The driver is bragging that the mule will do anything he’s told. But after several unsuccessful attempts to get the mule moving, the driver gets off the wagon and hits the mule between the eyes with a big stick. When the driver resumes his seat and says, “Giddap, mule,” the animal starts walking. The passenger, appalled, says, “I thought you said he’d do anything he was told.” The driver...
