The expression “thinking outside the box” originated as a corporate phrase, meant to prod dull-witted executives into being more creative. So why can’t corporate executives just say what they used to say to their sycophantic underlings, “Get off your fucking lazy ass and be more creative.” What’s with the box?
Did the Founding Fathers need a box? Try to visualize Ben Franklin coming up to Thomas Jefferson at the House of Burgesses’ water cooler and saying, “Listen, Tom, we really need you to think outside the box on this declaration thing, okay?”
And if you must have the stupid box, why can’t you be just as creative inside the box? No matter how brilliant or boneheaded you may be, your brainpower is still the same whether it’s inside or outside an imaginary box.
Presumably, it took some idiot inside the box to come up with the dumbass idea of thinking outside the box. If it was such a spectacular idea, how did he manage to come up with it from inside the box?
And how much has mankind actually progressed since people started thinking outside the box? Do cars get more mileage? Is the problem of global warming solved? Is there a cure for cancer? Is there some entertainment value in observing Ashley Simpson paint her toenails for an hour?
Sarah Palin doesn’t think inside or outside the box, because she doesn’t think at all. A box won’t help.
Joe Wilson, Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Bill O’Reilly and Glenn Beck should all think inside the box. That box should be a coffin.
Take Wall Street. Please. Sub-prime mortgages evolved because some moron was thinking “outside the box.” Thanks so much. Now, because of all this pointless external box thinking, a lot of ordinary people are actually living inside a real box and when they go outside the box, it’s usually to smoke an ancient cigar butt or cook moldy spam on a Sterno.
TIP:
Enter the amount, and click "Tip" to submit!
Steven J. Gulitti
Rachel Velamur
Jan Sand
Tricia Weight
Ralph Tingey
David McClain
Salon.com
Comments
Good piece John.
Sorry John. Feeble attempt at one of those "meta" sort of questions.
Funny, John, funny!
R
I could do a whole list on my retorts when people use that phrase.
Well done and this post needed to be read by some.
Rated
That rips its seams and tears its sides apart
And spills the packing popcorn on the floor,
While we would but send a manuscript to press.
Rated
I know I irritate the hell out of the people who are above me on the corporate ladder because I don't do things the way they would like them done. They want a certain type of person in the job and I'm not that person. But I generate revenue and continuously exceed my quarterly quotas, so they can't say but so much to me.
The numbers don't lie, and because I bang them out, they have to give me good performance reviews and raises even though I know they don't like doing it.
God, I loathe business books.
btw... Ashley Simpson's toes? Your fetish is showing again... ;)
nuclear weapons
napalm
killer bees
mexi-fries (folks, they're just TATER-TOTS)
Billy Bass
musical doorbells
Carrot Top's "so-called" comedy
That creepy Burger King guy with the huge, plastic head
what we need
is a
bigger box?
You made me laugh out loud.
"Think outside the box" is one of two phrases that doom any project to awfulness. The other is "Have fun with it."
Note to corporate America: freelancers charge 5% more to pretend to have fun. Fake fun is hard work. Real fun, you don't have to pay for.
I got yer fun right here, boss. In this box.
another name for the Box.. the Matrix :)
Now I'm going to go draw a box of brain weasels....if I can just stay focused....ooooh bright shiny object