[This vignette is intended solely to lighten the mood on campus, and to counteract the unnecessarily vicious Barnard-Columbia conversations that have arisen in light of recent events.]
John “Rick” MacArthur (publisher of Harper’s and author of the book from which this vignette’s title is drawn), gets an interview with Barack Obama after discovering that the president will be delivering the commencement address at Barnard a day before his own speech at Columbia College's class day. He uses the pretense of the interview to ask Obama for a ticket. The conversation below is what follows.
Barack Obama: Sorry, I can’t get you a ticket for my speech, John-Rick. Security’s gonna be pretty tight. I hear the NYPD is going to be paying extra close attention to which halal cart I stop at for lunch.
John “Rick” MacArthur: That’s ok. I’ve never been a big fan of yours, anyway. I might still try to sneak in under the radar—nobody recognizes me, so I’m just going to act like a lifelong learner. If a loud cellphone goes off during your speech for an inordinate amount of time, by the way, I apologize in advance.
