&#91LETTERS TO THE EDITOR&#93Why we are stuck in a dark situation

An American, South Korean, North Korean, Japanese, Chinese and a Russian are trapped in a big room. It's really dark, but each has a cane that can be used to tap on the walls in an attempt to find a way out.

They start waving their canes around. The North Korean wields his like a baseball bat and whacks the South Korean on the back.

"Ow! Stop hitting me," the South Korean yells at the American. "Did I hit you? I'm sorry, it was just an accident!" the American protests. "I told you he would do that," the North Korean says knowingly.

The Japanese guy has dropped his cane and starts feeling around on his hands and knees. "Hey, I think I found the exit!" he says. "You stay out of this!" yell the American and the South and North Korean.

"Okay, here's what we can do," the American resumes. "Everybody get behind me. Let's get in a conga line, and I'll be at the front waving my cane around. That way we can all get out of here together."

"I'm not getting behind you unless I have a say in how you wave the cane!" the South Korean demands.

"Just like an American. Always giving orders," the North Korean whispers and smacks his cane on the South Korean's knee.

"Stop doing that, damn it!" the South Korean yells at the American. "If you're going to keep hitting me, I'm not going to be in your stupid conga line at all!"

"Hey, I found the corner of the room!" the Japanese guy says. "Is it the exit?" everyone asks. "No, but it's definitely the corner," he replies.

Meanwhile, the Chinese and the Russian have sat down in the darkness and laid their canes across their laps. They laugh and pat each other's back in an expression of mutual understanding. "Those stupid guys are never going to get out of this room," they chuckle.

by Josslin Burke