Banter Bites

Don’t Know. Don’t Lie.

None of us knows everything, so we shouldn't pretend to have all the answers.

BANTER BITE BACKSTORY: It was the first full day of the new administration and the first time Dr. Anthony Fauci appeared at a White House press briefing in a long time. Earlier in the day President Biden had announced his COVID-19 strategy, which included a wide range of aggressive and immediate actions. Red, who tends to have the news on in the afternoon, couldn't help but take a brief pause from Red & Black (don't tell Black!) to listen to what the doctor had to say. Especially as Red's such a huge fan of his that Black had bought her a Dr. Fauci bobblehead which now sits on her desk.

After listening to his usual measured, thorough, and thoughtful answers, she was about to focus again on work when she heard a reporter ask a question that he didn't have an answer for, and that's when Dr. Fauci's response grabbed her full attention, "One of the new things in this administration is, if you don't know the answer, don't guess. Just say you don't know the answer." After thinking to herself how that was an incredibly honest and direct answer, she then laughed, thinking that his mother would've been so proud of him.

Black prefers to read her news and early in the morning had seen a summary of the presidential actions, so when Red mentioned Dr. Fauci's statement (Black knows she often has the television on while working), she hadn't yet read about the White House's afternoon briefing and that specific quote. She, too, is a fan of Dr. Fauci, not only for his expertise but for his blunt language and explanations. When she read AP's "Fauci unleashed: Doc takes 'liberating' turn at center stage," she realized that Dr. Fauci was sharing more than COVID-19 knowledge, he was sharing lessons that are important in business – and in life. Admitting when you don't know the answer, conflict management, and how to choose your words carefully.

If you’re looking for a reason not to mow, there’s logic behind letting it grow …

BANTER BITE BACKSTORY: As is often the case, Red hadn’t heard of the latest trend, “No Mow May,” which is all about lawn maintenance (or the lack of it) until Black started sending her articles about it.

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It’s hard to imagine one holiday celebrates … spring, women’s fertility, workers, and labor rights. But it shouldn’t surprise you that even though it dates back thousands of years, we each “dance around” different aspects of May Day.

If you’ve never thought about May Day, don’t worry, most of us haven’t.

BANTER BITE BACKSTORY: Red appreciates that some holidays have historical significance, some have ancient traditions, and some are opportunities for one of Black’s unexpected, but often amusing and clever, comments, but May Day checks all those boxes.

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Spring’s supposed to be full of optimism as it represents a new beginning, with longer days, the trees and flowers blooming, the birds chirping, and a general feeling of rejuvenation. So, whose idea was it to rudely interrupt it with Tax Day? And the fact it’s April 18 this year instead of April 15 (when we ran the article below in 2021, we got two extra days) hardly makes it any less, well, … taxing.

This quote is perfect, except that we don't know who said it, "People who complain about taxes can be divided into two classes: men and women."

BANTER BITE BACKSTORY: It's probably a safe bet (yes, the IRS even has specific rules on how to handle gambling income and losses) that no one looks forward to Tax Day, but it would be easy to make assumptions that how people approach this potentially stressful day would be impacted by how much, or how little, money they make …

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