What Use Is It?

If you’re like me, you’re sick to death of people who don’t understand social media always giving the snide rhetorical question-as-rationale, “What use is it? What’s it FOR?”

Benjamin Franklin watched the first manned flight – two balloonists, in Paris. One of the many amazed bystanders was skeptical, and had a snide rhetorical question: “Monsieur, franchement, à quoi peut bien servir de s’envoler dans les airs?” Which, in 1783-French-to-2011-English, means, “What use is flying? What’s it FOR?”

To which Franklin replied: “Monsieur, à quoi peut bien servir l’enfant qui vient de naître ?” Which is, roughly, “What use is a newborn baby?”

No wonder the man’s on our hundreds.

Just because you don’t know what it’ll do yet doesn’t mean it doesn’t have any business being here now.