I opened a fortune cookie recently, which told me in plain red text: "We make our own fortunes, yet we say it's fate".
Now, I'm not one to call fortune cookies into question, many who know me know I'm hardly the kind of person who complains to a chocolate company about the misformed M&M I found to get freebies, yet I disagree with whichever fellow wrote this thing for a couple of reasons.
Firstly, if it had said: "We make our own choices, yet we say it's fate", it would have been more feasible. I mean, I suppose the credibility of these things can be called into question especially when the last one I got said "Tomorrow you won't even remember", and I did, but 'choices' implies that we intentionally created a path that we followed, and therefore ended up at our fate, whereas 'fortune' is defined as something we have no control over. We cannot make fortune, unless we have control of some kind of... fortune-creating... machine, but that's a different story.
Secondly, even if this was indeed the message the man was supposed to forecast, he's wrong anyway, because a tautology of 'fate' is itself 'fortune' and so the sentance becomes redundant.
Finally, if you're going to make a fortune for someone, you had better make it a good one, because chances are, some people are superstitious folk who will believe something if it speaks to them. (See, 'Weird crap that has happened to me this year' on sale soon!) Saying 'you're going to see a car' isn't a good fortune. It's an obvious deduction. As obvious as the fact that Oprah was touched up on the cover of Vanity Fair, or the clue I'm about to leave for you now;
Clue
Jimzip :D
Thursday, July 19, 2007
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3 thoughts are now mine:
Haha man your a funny boy!
I too fear the quality of fortune cookie messages and they're subsequent effect on the superstitious.
I was with you all the way til I read the final sentence wrong (hopefuly wrong), aside from that, i'm with you all the way my good friend.
Totally up to date with Lost now, and I must say i'm a little eager for the next series.
Thai massage lady gualapet poi sends a hearty slap your way (and reminds you massage only 1 dollar mister) :)
Cheers!
Haha... I feel very confident in betting that the writer of that fortune originally wrote "We make our own choices, yet call it fate.' But then the fortune cookie company said 'Um, it's a fortune cookie... wouldn't it better if it read fortune instead. Then it connects with the cookie. Yep, much cleverer.'
I'm almost certain of it. I've been rewritten that many times, I can sense when someone else is being rewritten. It's like the spidey sense... except no where near as useful. :(
Oh, and thanks for the clue. I'd already assumed that... but it confirms for me to stick with it. So thanks! Now to crack this code and redeem my dignity.
To be continued...
... somebody touched Oprah!?
Stedman's gonna be pissed!
If anyone got that, yes, I know they broke up but I'm not strong on American current events and, thank God, hopefully never will be.
If you'll excuse me, I have a clue to look at...
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