Circus or Carnival?

On Tuesday, October 5, 2004, Andrea included the following passage in an e-correspondence to Zara.

"I was reading an article on personality tests for the workplace and one of the questions used is the following, "True or False: if money were no object, I would join a carnival or circus." I thought that was interesting (although not exactly sure what it would indicate) and so I asked G, and without hesitation, as if it were the question he'd been waiting on his whole life, he said "carnival". I started laughing, because the correct answer is supposed to be either true or false...so I'm laughing and said "no...!" and he looked at me and asked, "oh, circus?" It was too much, Zara. But then I e-mailed this same story to my sister and she wrote back that when she read it, she thought carnival too!!"

On Wednesday, October 6, 2004, Zara responded to Andrea.

"Your anecdote about the Gabriel and the circus/carnival was a riot. Did he know it was a true/false question? I must say, I forgot that it was a true/false and thought that you thought it was funny just because he had such a quick, clear response. I wonder if we sent out an e-mail asking for people to choose between circus and carnival what kind of numbers we would get? Should we? I think we would get more carnival. Our friends tend to be of the over-educated, under-employed type and I hypothesis that they would embrace the term carnival because:

1. It has one more syllable and everyone knows that smart people use big words

2. It sounds mysterious, I mean, what is a carnival? When the circus comes to town everyone knows since they advertise and stay for a few days. But a carnival comes out of nowhere and leaves before you can ask it any questions. The only thing more enigmatic than a carnival is a church bazaar.

3. The circus has clowns and you know how people universally dislike clowns. The carnival may or may not employee that brand of entertainment."

Thus began a project...

Part I
Andrea began by eliciting feedback from her sister, Elizabeth. Liz, as those in the know refer to her, is a recent graduate of George Washington University where she majored in their nationally competitive journalism department. Liz, in return, posited the question to her significant other, Matt.

Commentary from Liz and Matt
"That's funny about Zara and carnival's being mysterious because they pop up and disappear. I chose carnival for the opposite reason: because I thought they were fairly stable and always in the same spot only with different acts and whatnot rotating through. But maybe I was confused with fairs." - Liz

"Last night we went to Ben's Chili Bowl for dinner and I asked him about it and he said, "If the question were between carnival and circus I would chose carnival even though I don't know anything about them because the only times I have been to the circus there has been lots of hay and animal shit and I wouldn't want to live around that, it would bother my nose."" - Matt (as reported by Liz)

Part II
Zara, who arrived to work on Thursday, October 7, 2004, with a monstrous headache,
was not in the mood for doing her job so she decided to send an e-mail to her friends asking for them to pick between circus and carnival. Her friends constitute a diverse group that includes someone from Somerville, an actor, medical students, a number cruncher, course managers, a producer, and an IT person. None of Zara's friends know each other, (something she has carefully orchestrated since college so as to avoid the inevitable comparing of notes and talking about her behind her back) so she believed their responses would be pure and untainted by group analysis.

The Responses
"I would like to grow my own freak show. Get a research department at Genzyme to help me alter people, to improve the work force. Like waiters should have six arms and eyes in the back of their heads. Cops should have skin somewhat like a bullet proof vest. Politicians should have their noses grow when they lie - Pinnochio-esque. When immune systems are compromised (colds/flu) skin should turn green as a warning to others. But as for joining a carnival or circus - no. The animals are treated cruelly which is disgusting. There isn't much time for rest with setting up, dismantling, and traveling to the next show. And most importantly - it's no longer "the greatest show on earth". The circus/carnival has been replaced with Sea World, Disney World, Las Vegas, monster truck shows, wrestle mania, and reality tv shows (i.e-fear factor). People can travel anywhere now, so who the hell wants to see a bear on a unicycle?! It's a tired business that will eventually exhaust itself. Hopefully rodeos will die too!"

"You're nuts! My answer...no because carnival/circus people are freaks, I don't love carnival rides and circus animals and I wouldn't want to live out of a trailer and travel around."

"I would never join the carnival or the circus regardless of the compensation. Why? You need to ask? People who join these wonderful traveling establishments usually do so because of large patches of unwanted facial hair, a fascination with Twinkies that has let them expand to a solid 400lbs, an unfortunate joining of two midget parents that has left you actually aspiring to that height or you are one of those people who actually believes that the 700 pound tiger doesn't get tempted each and every time you decide to put your head in its mouth. The ensemble of traveling performers doesn't usually get mistaken for a think tank."

"Nope. I wouldn't. I moved around a lot as a kid and I relish the stability a home offers. Though, if money weren't an issue I might join a cruise line...I would have to get rid of a considerable amount of stuff though!"

"Carnival yes- circus no. Circuses (is that the correct plural? Circusi?) make me sad and they smell and I'm allergic. But clearly I'm already drawn toward carnival/carnies in some weird way so that I would do. Or may do, regardless of money."

"Long answer: Although a carnival worker/performer likely would not make a lot of money
I believe a circus performer would. In fact it's likely that circus performers make
more money than I do right now. So if you are offering me a job as a circus performer and
also offering me a job where I can wear tight-fitting sparkly outfits then sign me up baby!
But if you are offering me some low paying, clean up after a donkey and elephants kind of job where I only get to wear dickies and work boots then the answer is NO.
Short answer: Carnival: Never. Carnivals are lame and gross. How much fried dough can anyone eat? Circus: Only if it's some kind of performer position with sparkly outfits. (perhaps a death defying feat too.)"

"I'm going to have to say "circus." There's something slightly less sad and creepy about the circus. Not that I want to be a part of any cruelty to animals (I could make sure they treat them well), but I have this notion of the carnival as being a bunch of scam artists, tricking people into playing games they can't win, charging them to see "the Fish Man" who's really just a guy with some strange skin condition, etc. Plus, at a carnival, I'm not sure what job I'd actually like to have, but at a circus, I could see being a clown or some kind of crazy act."

"I would join the circus instead of the carnival b/c there's an eerie element to the carnival something sinister whereas the atmosphere of the circus is much lighter and playful."

"Interesting question. I'm not entirely sure what the difference is, but I like the sound of the circus better (I always thought cirque de soleil would be fun...)"

"So...given the choice between joining a carnival or a circus, I would choose the circus. Here are the reasons that first spring to mind:
1) The circus stays in one place for longer - less frequent travel.
2) The circus goes to major cities and towns, while the carnival goes to lots of random little redneck towns.
3) The circus has a captive audience, while people walk around (and may or may not stop) for carnival performers.
4) The circus strikes me as high budget, and the carnival seems to be the low budget counterpart.
5) Cooler costumes, better animals, and better tricks in the circus."

Analysis
Well, today is Friday and we have tired of our project. What seemed so silly earlier in the week has now become entirely irritating. We thank everyone for sharing their input with us. The only conclusions we have arrived at are:

1. Pose a confusing question with multiple interpretations and comedy may or may not ensue.
2. Nobody can clearly articulate the differences between a carnival/circus.
3. Our friends are very good for putting up us, even those of you who chose "circus" - OK, eewww, what were you thinking?