Jokes and Vignette

A characteristic of Self-Preservation 6 is being reluctant to answer—a well-known trait attributed to Nasrudín, the Galicians, or the Jews, which consists of answering one question with another.

“Nasrudín, why do you always answer with a question?” “And why not?”

There is a paranoid mood in that, hiding so much. It denotes a fear of being caught, taken advantage of, or simply being wrong.

A Jew meets another Jew at a station in the early days of the railway. “Where are you going?” “To Smolensk.” “Oh, I see! You tell me you are going to Smolensk because you want me to think you are going to Lublin, but I know you are going to Smolensk.”

It is a strategic concealment. A Galician joke characterizes at the same time the paranoid interrogation and the doubtful, ambivalent, and unclear nature of this character.

A Galician meets another on the stairs and says: “I couldn’t tell if you’re going up or down. Tell me: do you go up or down?” “And why do you want to know?”

One night, when the husband comes home, his wife says, “You know? Something extraordinary happened today!” “Oh yeah?” “Yeah. This morning there was a knock on the door. I open it and find a man. He doesn’t say anything, I don’t ask him anything, and he goes into the house. Then I see him sitting on the couch. He doesn’t say anything, I don’t ask him anything, and he lights a cigar. Then I see him in the room. He doesn’t say anything, I don’t ask him anything, and we make love. Then we get dressed. He doesn’t say anything, I don’t ask him anything, and he leaves.” “Fuck! We will never know why he came!”