Men really ARE from Mars...

[redhotinnyc2]

Posted: 10/20/05 at 1:37pm

Here's a prime example of "Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus"offered by an English professor from the University of Phoenix: And it's great!

The professor told his class one day: "Today we will experiment with a new form called the tandem story. The process is simple. Each person will pair off with the person sitting to his or her immediate right. As homework tonight, one of you will write the first paragraph of a short story. You will e-mail your partner that paragraph and send another copy to me. The partner will read the first paragraph and then add another paragraph to the story and send it back, also sending another copy to me.

The first person will then add a third paragraph, and so on back-and-forth. Remember to re-read what has been written each time in order to keep the story coherent. There is be absolutely NO talking outside of the e-mails, and anything you wish to say must be written in the e-mail. The story is over when both agree a conclusion has been reached."

The following was actually turned in by two of his English students:

Rebecca and Gary.

THE STORY:

(first paragraph by Rebecca)
At first, Laurie couldn't decide which kind of tea she wanted. The chamomile, which used to be her favorite for lazy evenings at home, now reminded her too much of Carl, who once said, in happier times, that he liked chamomile. But she felt she must now, at all costs, keep her mind off Carl. His possessiveness was suffocating, and if she thought about him too much her asthma started acting up again. So chamomile was out of the question.

(second paragraph by Gary)
Meanwhile, Advance Sergeant Carl Harris, leader of the attack squadron now in orbit over Skylon 4, had more important things to think about than the neuroses of an air-headed asthmatic bimbo named Laurie with whom he had spent one sweaty night over a year ago. "A.S. Harris to Geostation 17," he said into his transgalactic communicator. "Polar orbit established. No sign of resistance so far..." But before he could sign off a bluish particle beam flashed out of nowhere and blasted a hole through his ship's cargo bay.The jolt from the direct hit sent him flying out of his seat and across the cockpit.

(Rebecca)
He bumped his head and died almost immediately, but not before he felt one last pang of regret for psychically brutalizing the one woman who had ever had feelings for him. Soon afterwards, Earth stopped its pointless hostilities towards the peaceful farmers of Skylon 4. "Congress Passes Law Permanently Abolishing War and Space Travel," Laurie read in her newspaper one morning. The news simultaneously excited her and bored her. She stared out the window, dreaming of her youth, when the days had passed unhurriedly and carefree, with no newspaper to read, no television to distract her from her sense of innocent wonder at all the beautiful things around her.. "Why must one lose one's innocence to become a woman?" she pondered wistfully.

(Gary)
Little did she know, but she had less than 10 seconds to live. Thousands of miles above the city, the Anu'udrian mother ship launched the first of its lithium fusion missiles. The dim-witted wimpy peaceniks who pushed the Unilateral Aerospace disarmament Treaty through the congress had left Earth a defenceless target for the hostile alien empires who were determined to destroy the human race. Within two hours after the passage of the treaty the Anu'udrian ships were on course for Earth, carrying enough firepower to pulverize the entire planet. With no one to stop them, they swiftly initiated their diabolical plan. The lithium fusion missile entered the atmosphere unimpeded. The President, in his top-secret mobile submarine headquarters on the ocean floor off the coast of Guam, felt the inconceivably massive explosion, which vaporized poor, stupid, Laurie and 85 million other Americans. The President slammed his fist on the conference table. "We can't allow this! I'm going to veto that treaty! Let's blow 'em out of the sky!"

(Rebecca)
This is absurd. I refuse to continue this mockery of literature. My writing partner is a violent, chauvinistic semi-literate adolescent.

(Gary)
Yeah? Well, you're a self-centered tedious neurotic whose attempts at writing are the literary equivalent of Valium. "Oh, shall I have chamomile tea? Or shall I have some other sort of F---ING TEA??? Oh no, I'm such an air headed bimbo who reads too many Danielle Steele novels!"

(Rebecca)
Asshole.

(Gary)
Bitch

(Rebecca)
F*CK YOU - YOU NEANDERTHAL!

(Gary)
Go drink some tea. Whore.

(TEACHER)
A+ - I really liked this one.

Posted: 10/20/05 at 1:43pm

Red - this did make me laugh - but I REALLY cracked up when I got to the end and ran into your signature quote

[redhotinnyc2]

Posted: 10/20/05 at 1:45pm

They're a bit incongruous, aren't they?LOL...

[zepka102]

Posted: 10/20/05 at 1:51pm

that was the best thing i read in a while !!


i need to try that when i have my own class :P

[lildogs]

Posted: 10/20/05 at 2:16pm

I gotta go with rebecca on this one--he was antagonistic from the beginning...I wonder if these two had a history...I don't think this cigar IS a cigar...

[redhotinnyc2]

Posted: 10/20/05 at 3:29pm

I was thinkin the same thing...

[DayDreamer]

Posted: 10/20/05 at 3:35pm

He he he

Very funny.

[shira467]

Posted: 10/20/05 at 4:38pm

I hate chamomile tea.

That was hysterical!

[One Song Glory]

Posted: 10/20/05 at 5:19pm

That was funny. Thank you for that.

[SamIAm]

Posted: 10/20/05 at 5:22pm

I really needed that laugh today. Having this little quarrel in the hall may be one thing, but taking it public via email to your professor...well, that really takes some chutzpah.

These guys must LOVE sitting in class next to one another now!

Did not, did too...uh uh...yes, sir...you jerk...not as dumb as you. Well, you get the drift.

[soapguy17]

Posted: 10/20/05 at 5:45pm

That made my day! Thanks!

[xM3L24x]

Posted: 10/20/05 at 6:31pm

this is THE funniest thing hahaha lmao.
Updated On: 10/20/05 at 06:31 PM

[Sunfish]

Posted: 10/20/05 at 6:49pm

It is a hilarious, but sadly, snopes.com thinks it is just a terrific piece of writing!

http://www.snopes.com/college/homework/writing.asp

It's been around since 1997 and first appeared in the newsgroup rec.humor.

Sigh...only reason I checked on it is that I got it in e-mail a few years ago.....

But ...it's still funny!!!!!!

[Atrias]

Posted: 10/20/05 at 6:50pm

I think it should have won the Pulitzer. Fabulous!

[Act0r721]

Posted: 10/20/05 at 7:03pm

Haha yeah, probably fake, but very funny.

[theatrebabe]

Posted: 10/20/05 at 7:07pm

Hahaha. That was hilarious!!

ActOr!! Where've you been??

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 10/20/05 at 11:42pm

I got to the description and I KNEW it was fake. The clue, the fact that we are inundated with University of Phoenix online ads across all media.

It's true what Barnum said, there's a tinny born every minute.

[JayKid]

Posted: 10/21/05 at 11:42am

lol, funny...

I'm taking the guys standpoint, ****in tea? Who cares.

At least his story was interesting.

[liotte]

Posted: 10/21/05 at 11:46am

Very funny!

[redhotinnyc2]

Posted: 10/21/05 at 2:53pm

Hey - I never said it was true - just found it funny!