I was combing through an official document the other day (an activity that I love doing. Seriously, I clear out my schedule so that I can comb through official documents. My wife has to literally pull me away from these "official" activities sometimes.) And upon my combing through said official document, I reached a page that caught my attention. Right there in the middle of a somewhat empty page was one sentence typed:
This page intentionally left blank.
Hmmm. Now, let's think about this. Here is a sentence printed on a page declaring that this page is left blank. (Intentionally, by the way.) But it isn't blank....is it? The very fact that there is a sentence printed in the middle of the page contradicts the sentence's claim, right? It's like writing, "This is not a complete sentence." It's like saying, "Never say never." It is self-referentially contradictory. The page isn't blank at all. Don't tell me that it is.
Why waste a page in the first place if you were going to print on it any way...albeit with a disclaimer that you weren't going to print on it? Just go ahead and print whatever you were going to print on the next page. Why waste the paper (and the ink) informing us that you are wasting paper (and ink)?!? What's the point in skipping a page for no good reason?
[This paragraph intentionally left blank.]
And why the added adverb: "intentionally"? Oh, that is helpful. You did this on purpose. That is clarifying. I would have been confused if you simply wrote "This page left blank." I would have been like - "WHAT?!? How did this happen?!? How did this page get left blank and yet simultaneously be informing me that it isn't blank?!? Is the universe folding in on itself?!??!" But with that one little word "intentionally" now I know - oh, thank goodness. This insanity does have a purpose to it.
All in all, this is stupid. Just use the page that you were going to "intentionally" leave blank. Don't skip over it.
Nothing like bringing in the new year with criticism and cynicism. (Put together: Crytnicism)
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment