During the holidays I visited a new store that was advertising exotic gifts for upscale shoppers. I have never thought of myself as upscale, but I decided to drop in and see what my more affluent neighbors might be interested in.
A number of fascinating items were on display. There was a gorgeous cape fashioned from the feathers of colorful tropical birds. Another item was a magnificent dresser set made of mother of pearl and embedded with a variety of precious stones — diamonds, emeralds, and rubies. Even more attractive to me was a world globe on which the various geographical features were beautifully defined in vibrant colors and softly illuminated by a light within.
The most interesting exhibit of all was at the rear of the store. There I saw a line of about fifteen containers, each exquisitely shaped and gilded with gold and platinum leaf. As I drew near, I discovered that each container bore a label. I began to examine them more closely.
Accountants’ brains – $700 per ounce.
Physicians’ brains – $800 per ounce.
Physicists’ brains – $900 per ounce
Politicians’ brains – $7300 per ounce
Teachers’ brains – $750 per ounce.
I called over a member of the store’s staff.
“I believe there’s a labeling error here,” I said. “Surely politicians’ brains can’t be that more valuable than the others.”
“Sir,” the clerk responded, “You can’t imagine how many politicians we had to shoot to fill that container.”