In the growingly converging worlds of media and politics, this expression is the new eye-watering elephant in the room. Today, I've heard it on the radio in the diverse contexts of Afghanistan and cricket, and a quick search will add in the financial crisis, a TV show called 'Lost', and (I kid you not) the Mohawk Indians' intention to withdraw from the US national electricity grid.
Before I use it myself in polite conversation ('gosh, is that the time? Better implement my E S!'), let's try for a definition, or at least a description. Exit strategies are what you invent when it's too late. You suddenly realise you're in this room, and hey, how did I get here, and, okay, there's the way out over there, but I can't see quite how to get from here to that door because there's an eyewatering number of elephants in the way. A youngster will be told 'well, you should have thought of that before you started down the hill on the skateboard/jumped off the bridge/dated those three girls at the same date time and place' ...
Did anybody, anywhere, ever, before starting something, define their exit strategy along with their entry one? I haven't come across an example.
Is this something to do with that old joke about elephants' (that's more than one elephant, note) footprints in the butter in the refrigerator (I still find it hard to call it a fridge because it really ought to be a frig). In other words, did the elephants not have an ES for getting out of said appliance?
ReplyDeleteOr am I barking up the wrong tree, thence allowing the tree-climbing lion up the other one a perfect ES.
I think I'll stop here.
Happy Birthday bro.