Archives for August 13th, 2007

John Hodgman, a Slovene? A screenshot from The Daily Show.

It’s always surprising to see Slovenia mentioned anywhere in the U.S., so it was great to see the legendary humorist John Hodgman use it in a satirical bit on The Daily Show last June. His “book” is a stab at the American obsession with genealogy — something that, in my experience, Slovenes seem to care very little about. If you ever have the chance, ask an American where their forefathers come from and you’ll not only get an answer, but a perfect breakdown in percentages. (”Well, I’m 25% Scottish on my mother’s side, as well as 25% Apache…”)

With Slovenes, on the other hand, the conversations usually go like this:

Michael: “So, were you born in Maribor?”
Slovene: “Yeah.”
Michael: “And your parents?”
Slovene: “They’re from Maribor.”
Michael: “Grandparents?”
Slovene: “Also from Maribor.”
Michael: “So, it’s safe to say that you’re 100% Mariborian.”
Slovene: “Well, I studied in Ljubljana for a few years, but yes.”

At any rate, you may remember Hodgman from the famous “I’m a Mac” ads (he’s the PC) but he’s also done some wonderful stuff at McSweeney’s, especially his Ask a Former Professional Literary Agent series. It’s highly recommended.

(Big bear hugs of thanks to A. Medved!)