Update on an old tale, “Toyota, GM Canoe Race”

[jody]

Toyota, GM Canoe Race

A Japanese company (Toyota) and an American company (General Motors) decided to have a canoe race on the Missouri River. Both teams practiced long and hard to reach their peak performance before the race.

On the big day, the Japanese won by a mile.

The Americans, very discouraged and depressed, decided to investigate the reason for the crushing defeat. A management team made up of senior management was formed to investigate and recommend appropriate action.

Their conclusion was that the Japanese had 8 people rowing and 1 person steering, while the American team had 8 people steering and 1 person rowing.

Feeling a deeper study was in order, American management hired a consulting company and paid them a huge fee for a second opinion. The advice, of course, was that too many people were steering the boat, while not enough people were rowing.

Not sure of how to utilize that information, but wanting to prevent another loss to the Japanese, the rowing team's management structure was totally reorganized to 4 steering supervisors, 3 area steering superintendents and 1 assistant superintendent steering manager.

They also implemented a new performance system that would give the 1 person rowing the boat greater incentive to work harder. It was called the "Rowing Team Quality First Program," with meetings, dinners and free pens for the rower. There was discussion of getting new paddles, canoes and other equipment, extra vacation days for practices and bonuses.

The next year the Japanese won by two miles.

Humiliated, the American management laid off the rower for poor performance, halted development of a new canoe, sold the paddles, and canceled all capital investments for new equipment.

The money saved was distributed to the Senior Executives as bonuses and the next year's racing team was out-sourced to India.

Sadly, The End.

[NV Whino]

1. That pretty much says it.

[jody]

2. Rockwell painted four memorable pictures in WWII about the four freedoms. My idea below about today.

[muriel_volestrangler]

3. 'boat race', or 'rowing race'

you don't have anyone just steering a canoe - everyone paddles, and no-one 'rows'. One person may be responsible for paddling to steer. Just saying - the joke works better if it's a rowing eight.

[hfojvt]

4. actually you do. I usually paddle in the front

often the guy in the back will cease paddling and simply use his oar as a rudder. It is their job to steer, although sometimes I switch sides in paddling in order to help out.

[muriel_volestrangler]

5. What happened to a J stroke?

[Stinky The Clown]

6. Can we get further beside the point while still trying to seem germaine to the comment?

:eyes:

[BeFree]

7. One idea they spent millions researching

The canoe was too heavy so they did a study on how, if they drilled big holes in the bottom, thereby reducing weight, they might lighten the load.

It was dismissed 3 months later.

[muriel_volestrangler]

9. Hey, if someone's going to tell a 20 year old joke

they may as well tell it well. (Could be more than 20 years old - that's just when I first heard it)

[jody]

12. What happened muriel_volestrangler, the facts about canoe racing in #11 caused you to retreat? n/t

[muriel_volestrangler]

13. Pictures of rowers supplied by you: 0

pictures of paddlers: plenty. Some people may be using a paddle to steer, at some times.

Face it, you screwed up the joke. You need to stop talking about rowers and canoes. A good joke doesn't get people thinking 'hang on, what the fuck is this about rowers and steerers in a canoe?'

[jody]

15. You don't read very well. I cited the source for the joke in the OP. Have a good day. n/t

[jody]

10. For your edification, Duala & Maori war canoes.

And a modern version:

[jody]

11. And one more picture for you.

[NashVegas]

14. Once Good Canoe Race Pic Deserves Another

[jody]

16. That's a great one. n/t

[NashVegas]

17. Thanks. I Gots More. Getting Back to the Topic At Hand

I work at a small company that has the problem described in the joke. In a week and a half, some people are going to be pissed off when they find out they're going to have to take my uncompensated, original writing off of their website.

[Orsino]

8. This is the best response to that bullshit "free beer" parable. n/t

[boomerbust]

18. sig line

Reclaimed 2nd am. rights? Mine were never lost. An Alabama NRA advocate. Figures.

[jody]

19. I'm a Yellow Dog Democrat and pro-RKBA supporter who advocates that part of my party's platform that

begins "We recognize that the right to bear arms is an important part of the American tradition, and we will preserve Americans' Second Amendment right to own and use firearms."

I object to everyone who claims to be a Democrat who supports the Second Amendment and in the next breath wants to ban semiautomatic firearms, ban handguns, abolish concealed carry weapon laws that forty eight states have today, see map below.

Some states and areas did lose their 2nd Amendment rights but that was restored in DC v. Heller last June over the strident objection of a few Democratic gun-grabbers.