
Wow, I just found this pencil at work today. The inscription on it reads:
"Anyone Can, But Male Does!"
Now, before you get too excited, I should note that there is a local high school with the name "Male," which I am assuming this pencil is endorsing. Still, can you really call that a definitively positive proclamation? I spent part of my morning puzzling this one out:
if anyone can do something, isn't it setting the bar a little low for yourself to brag about your institution doing what any old somebody could do? The pencil seems to be implying that this mysterious thing that can be done by anyone is actually not being done by anyone, but is in fact being done by Male. So...is this thing worthwhile or not? It seems like if it was, than everyone would be doing it (since we are told that they are capable). So...maybe not something worth bragging about, then? But seriously: what the hell is that something? School spirit? Why be so cryptic? Sure, there's not much space to work with, but it seems to me that you'd want to get your point across in as unequivocal a way as possible--you know, if you're gonna go to all the trouble of having custom pencils printed up. I mean, this is a high school-aged audience this pencil is addressing: you don't want to open the door to snarky, teenage-brand sarcasm so easily, make 'em work for it!