NAME.....Take The Tube
CODE.....CM1609
ORIGIN...Unknown
STATUS...False

A man working in a small office in the City of London felt very agitated when the large florescent tube, which was lighting his office, burnt out and needed changing. He immediately went down to the local electrical shop and bought a new one, replacing the burnt out tube when he returned. Now that he could see what he was doing again, he had to work hard to make up for loss time.

After a hard day slogging away, the man packed up and was ready for the journey home, when he suddenly remembered the florescent tube. He decided to take it home with him, as he could bung it in a skip that a neighbour had loaned. So he started his journey home travelling on the London Underground. The carriage he boarded was packed, so the man had to stand, holding the tube vertically in front of him.

As the journey progressed, more and more commuters boarded the train. Thinking that the florescent tube was a pole to hold onto, people grasped hold of it for balance. When it was the man's stop, several people still had hold of the tube, so he shrugged, let go, and stepped off the train.

Summary

This short and witty UL explains the way of modern city life in a nutshell. The pace of life is fast, sacrificing individuality for the soulless melting pot that is commonly known as the rat race. People are too busy racing around from 'a' to 'b' to care about anyone, or their surroundings. This selfish, unobservant attitude is highlighted in this UL, with the commuters on the underground not noticing they are actually holding a florescent tube and not the pole. Although this version is situated in London, it could have been situated at any modern cosmopolitan city in the world.

Final Thoughts

Not a very well known UL, and doesn't seem to travel well. It is believed to be originated in the US, and seldom heard this side of the Atlantic. It was originally thought to have appeared in a section of Readers Digest called 'Life In These United States', although that is not confirmed. The most popular version of this tale is situated on the Subway in Manhattan, New York City.