Get Thinner Here!

The above exclamation was blinking on a sign I drove by the other day. A weight loss clinic? In that building? Looks like the paint store is taking up all the -- oh. Right. Paint thinner.

I've spent some time since then discussing with myself the implications of the fact that even though the blinking lights were on a paint store sign, I immediately assumed it was for a weight loss clinic. Am I so accustomed to my culture's preoccupation with appearance and slimness that any other option is barely plausible? Seriously, it took me over a block to realize my mistake. Additionally, did the company realize what they were saying? Usually, when you're used to thinking of something from one perspective, it's hard to recognize a different perspective unless someone points it out to you - like that line drawing that's a young lady with a hat - wait! it's an old crone! - wait! You know, the one they always pull up in Psychology class. Had anybody ever walked into the paint store, looked puzzled, and asked about the weight loss clinic?

And what about people for whom English is just barely a second language? How does one explain to them that Get Thinner Here can mean two different things at exactly the same time? I love playing with English, listening to it knot up into itself and then fluidly unravel, like some kind of linguistic jellyfish. I'm looking into getting certified to teach ESL, to some extent because I get such a kick out of the language and want to pass it on, to let these outsiders in on the joke. Because I would hate to see someone walk into an LA Weightloss Center with their dried-up paintbrushes and not understand when everyone laughs.