What is an anecdote? An anecdote is a short story—usually about a very specific topic—that is told to illuminate a larger situation related to a situation, narrative, or thematic principle.
We tell each other these stories all the time on a daily basis, usually humorously. In storytelling, they can help describe the narrator and/or his subject.
The French writer Voltaire was known for his sharp wit. Here is an anecdote from his brief stint in England.
Voltaire lived in exile in London at a time when sentiment against the French was at its highest. One day, while walking through the streets, he found himself surrounded by an angry mob. “Hang him. Hang the Frenchman,» they shouted.
Voltaire calmly addressed the crowd with the following words: «Men of England! You want to kill me because I am French. Am I not punished enough for not being born English?’
The crowd cheered his thoughtful words and escorted him safely back to the lodge.
Photo: pixabay.com
It was well known that manufacturers in the gaming industry had to change everything that was done.
The artist who worked on the animations of the “Battle Chess” queen realized this need and came up with an innovative solution. He animated the queen as he thought would be best, with one addition: he gave the queen a pet duck. He animated this duck in all the queen animations, made it flap around the corners. He also took great care to ensure that it never overlapped with the “actual” animation.
Eventually, it was time for the producer to review the Queen’s animation suite. The producer sat down and watched all the animations. When it was finished, he turned to the artist and said, “It looks great. Only one thing – get rid of the duck.»
Photo: pixabay.com
The anecdote is based on the story of the German economist Horst Siebert. With narration, Siebert created the infamous Cobra effect.
During the British rule in India, when the population of poisonous cobras in Delhi increased to alarming levels, the authorities offered rewards for dead cobras. Snakes were tracked down, killed and handed over by people. It worked until this happened.
Some locals started breeding cobras so they could make a profit by killing and giving them away. Because it didn’t live up to the hype and didn’t solve the problem at hand, the British government ended the program. It worked – only it didn’t work.
Cobras had suddenly become useless to breeders. So they released them, again causing the plague of Delhi cobras. It has even been said that it was worse than before the government intervened.
Photo: pixabay.com
Literature is full of inspiring anecdotes. The tiger in the dining room is taken from Kazuo Ishiguro’s novel “Leftover of the Day”. It is the story of an old English bodyguard who looks back on his life in the service. His father (a bodyguard himself) is happy to tell this anecdote to illustrate the value of respect and professionalism.
There was one English butler in India. One day he walked into the dining room and what did he see under the table? Tigers. Without moving an ear, he goes straight to the living room. “Um, um. Excuse me, my lord,» and whispers so as not to disturb the ladies:
“I’m very sorry, sir, but there seems to be a tiger in the dining room. Perhaps you will allow twelve guns to be used?’ And, according to the legend, after a few minutes the employer and his guests heard three shots. When the butler reappeared in the drawing-room some time later to refresh the kettles, the employer had asked if everything was all right.
“Quite well, thank you, sir,” came the reply. “Dinner will be served at the usual time, and I am happy to say that by then there will be no visible traces of what happened recently.”
Photo: pixabay.com
Given their emotional impact, it seems a good idea to examine the anecdotes. For example, this one is about the physicist Richard Feynman. It was skillfully generated by OpenAI. Only on request does it admit that this story is just a “fictional example inspired by his teaching methods.” Although this bogus anecdote is based on the legendary Feynman technique, it is largely untrue. Feynman was smart. But not so smart.
Nobel Prize-winning physicist Richard Feynman, known for his brilliant mind and playful personality, was once invited to serve on a government committee evaluating the education system. During the committee meeting, Feynman shared his concerns about traditional teaching methods that emphasized memorization over deep understanding.
To illustrate his point, Feynman asked one of the committee members to pick a random topic that they thought Feynman knew nothing about. This member suggested the topic of ancient Babylonian architecture. Feynman accepted the challenge and asked for a few minutes to collect his thoughts.
When Feynman returned, he began to explain the architecture of ancient Babylon with such depth and clarity that the members of the committee were amazed. Feynman then admitted that he knew nothing about the subject until a few minutes ago. He had simply used his knowledge of general principles and his ability to think critically to piece together a coherent explanation.
Photo: pixabay.com
There are many stories about Otto von Bismarck, Chancellor of Germany in the late 19th century. Here’s a particularly witty one:
German Chancellor Bismarck, enraged by the constant criticism of Rudolph Virchow (a German pathologist and liberal politician), ordered his lieutenants to challenge the scientist to a duel.
“As a challenger, I have a choice of weapons,” said Virchow, “and I choose these.” He held up two large and seemingly identical sausages. “One of them,” he continued, “is infected with deadly bacteria, and the other is completely healthy. Let His Excellency decide which one he wants to eat, and I will eat the other.”
Word came almost immediately that the chancellor had decided to cancel the duel.
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