Culture: MIT and the Talking Frog

TORONTO, ONTARIO - Some time ago I tackled the idea of what it meant to be "of" a given university and considered what defined the culture of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). An old joke came up this week that probably defines MIT better than any description. It goes:

A MIT student was walking through campus when a frog jumped on to the walkway in front of him. To the student's surprise, rather than hopping on toward the Charles River, the frog instead turned and spoke to him:

"You smart man, come kiss me and I will become a beautiful princess and grant you three wishes."

The MIT student bent over, picked up the frog, put it in his pocket, and kept walking to class.

As he turned off the Infinite Corridor, he decided to take the frog out of his pocket. The frog again spoke:

"You are such a tall man, please kiss me and I will become a beautiful princess and be your girlfriend."

The MIT student put the frog back in his pocket and continued to class. After the class was over, on the way to his lab, he decided to take out the frog once more. The front spoke for the third time:

"You are a handsome man. Kiss me and I will become a beautiful princess and make you happy forever."

The MIT student put the frog back in his pocket and finished walking to the lab, did a series of experiments, then started walking home for dinner. Along the way, he took out the frog, who spoke for the fourth time:

"I don't understand you. I have promised you wishes, to be your girlfriend, and to make you happy forever. What do I have to do to make you kiss me?"

"Look," said the student, "I go to MIT. I don't have time to worry about wishes or for a girlfriend. But a talking frog, that's cool!"