Pitfalls of Communication

A couple of years back I read an interesting article in the Men’s Journal about the pitfalls of communication. I can not recall the author of the article but I remember the author illustrated his point by relating a particular incident in the many adventures of the Lone Ranger and his trusted sidekick, Tonto. My apologies to the original storyteller but begging his permission, I shall now attempt to recreate his Lone Ranger story.

The Lone Ranger and Tonto, in one of their many forays to what was then the hostile plains of the Wild Wild West, were said to have been captured one day by hostile Indians. Surrounded and with nowhere to go, Tonto, in an attempt to wriggle out of a tight situation, immediatedly pointed to the Lone Ranger and said, “Kemosabi, Kemosabi.”

Upon hearing this, the Indians burst out laughing. The Lone Ranger could not understand why the Indians were laughing, apparently at his expense, and why Tonto was too.

Perplexed, the Lone Ranger asked the nearest Indian who happen to know a little English why they were falling all over themselves laughing. And the Indian said,”Kemosabi mean dim-witted, jackass fool.”

And so the Lone Ranger, sans Tonto, was bound and brought to the village chief to await his fate. With the day almost done and after spending hours and hours under the pitiless sun, the Chief finally appeared and told the Lone Ranger,” We will grant you three wishes. On the third day, we burn you at the stake.”

But the Lone Ranger, being, well, the Lone Ranger, showed nary a twitch in his countenance for he knew that Indians respected courage at the face of grave danger. And all who witnessed the Lone Ranger’s reaction were duly impressed.

“What is your first wish,” asked the Chief.

The Lone Ranger asked that his hands be unbound and he whistled. His loyal steed, Silver, came galloping from nowhere and, stopping only to listen to the whispered instructions of his master, immediately took off before the Indians could react.

About on hour later, Silver appeared bearing a beautiful, desirable maiden on his back and the Indians, seeing this, were even more impressed.

“The Lone Ranger very brave,” the Chief said, “He thinks nothing of certain death.”

And so they gave the Lone Ranger use of the grandest wigwam for the night, second only to the chief’s of course, and left him to his own devices.

Next morning, the Chief came and asked the Lone Ranger his second wish. Again, the Lone Ranger whistled. Silver once again appeared just as before, and again took off after hearing his master’s orders. After several hours, the horse appeared with, just as before, an even more desirable woman on his back and the Indians were even more impressed.

“Lone Ranger really brave,” the Chief said,”but tomorrow evening, after your last wish, we still burn you at the stake.

Again the Lone Ranger was left to do his thing, in the second-only-to-the-Chief’s grand wigwam.

At first light the next morning, the Chief again came to grant the Lone Ranger his last wish and again the Lone Ranger did as he has done for the past two days. He whistled and he gripped Silver’s long mane as the horse stood before him and said, ever so carefully lest the Indians hear, “I said POSSE.”