With so much violence in the world today, it can sometimes seem like human beings have completely forgotten how to talk to each other and resolve their issues peacefully. Fortunately, there’s proof that in this age of endless conflict, productive dialogue and meaningful compromise are still possible: Mom and Dad have agreed to split a corn dog.
Absolutely beautiful! This is the healing power of diplomacy at work.
Mom and Dad’s historic agreement occurred during a visit to the local school district’s annual fundraising fair in Oakdale Park. While admiring stalls featuring local artists and small business owners, Dad spotted a food truck that was selling corn dogs and mentioned that he was hungry and could really go for a corn dog. Mom said she was also hungry, and that she might also like a corn dog.
At this point Mom and Dad might have resorted to violence, attempting to kill one another in order to get the entire corn dog to themselves. But instead of letting hate carry the day, Mom mentioned that she was still a little full from the salad she had eaten before she left the house and that she didn’t think she could eat an entire corn dog. Dad then mentioned that the corn dogs looked “as big as [his] leg” and that he didn’t think he could eat an entire one by himself either. It was then that Mom and Dad reached a groundbreaking accord: They would purchase one corn dog and split it between the two of them.
Uh, we’re not crying, you’re crying!
Mom and Dad continued to make a series of concessions and compromises as they hammered out the details of their corn dog arrangement. Even though Dad mentioned he “liked the stick,” he agreed to eat the top half of the corn dog without the stick and just hold it in a napkin. For her part, Mom pointed out that the top half of the corn dog was “the fatter half,” but she was willing to give Dad the larger portion. They also concurred that they would put neither ketchup nor mustard on the corn dog, since both agreed that condiments were distracting.
For the past ten minutes, Mom and Dad have been sharing their corn dog, and both have commented that it doesn’t taste good. This is such an amazing moment for humanity. Any time a cynical politician tells you war is the only answer, you can use this story to prove them wrong! Diplomacy FTW!
