53 bicycles: A lateral thinking puzzle

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1041

Was distressed, but not at all worried. And there’s a little bit more

1042

Donated blood? Felt light-headed?

ETA:
The injury was caused by the needle to get the blood donation?

1043

Ok, that’s it, now. I’d hoped that folks would go down a few blind alleys, but it was not to be.

1044

**I heard a story about about a woman who was fired for the oddest reason. She had simply said the word “eleven”.

Why did this cause her firing?**

1045

Her boss, bragging about the “great relationship” he has with his underlings asked his group (in front of HIS boss), “So how would you’all rate me on a scale of 1 to 10 on the asshole meter?”

1046

Okay, fer reals now.

Was she answering a question?

If so, was her boss asking the question?

Was the question directed to her?

1047

Does the word “fired” in this story refer to dismissal from a job?

Was she Joan of Arc?

Was she a human cannonball?

1048

Was she expected to say a number at that point?
Would she have been fired if she had instead said “one”?
Would she have been fired if she had instead said “thirteen”?

1049

No.

1-3. No.

  1. Yes.

2-3. No.

  1. No.
  2. Unknown. Probably.
  3. Unknown. Probably.

Eleven is what was said and that is what is relevant.

1050

Did she say “eleven” because of a count?

If so, was it a miscount?

Did she know she would be fired for saying “eleven?”

1051

Taking that one step further: did she want to be fired?

1052

  1. No

  2. No

  3. No

No.

1053

1: Was she fired for unethical behavior?
2: Was she fired for dishonest behavior?
3: Was she fired for unprofitable behavior? ( I mean in a sense other than "if word got out that she was unethical, it’d be bad for profits)
4: Would a typical person who knew the whole story agree that the firing was to be expected?

1054

Is eleven intended as the usual English word meaning one more than ten?

1055

Was she fired for incompetence?

1056

  1. Would anyone have been fired for doing this, or was it something specific to this woman’s situation?

  2. Did this have something to do with her job (ie, was it poor performance)?

  3. If not 2, was it that she was engaged in a non-job related activity on the job?

1057

1-3. No.
4. It’s harsh. I can only say “probably not”

Yes

Yes.

  1. Yes
  2. Yes.
1058

Was “eleven” some sort of setting?
Did the firing occur the same day she said “eleven”?

1059
  1. Did she say eleven, or did she read it, like from a teleprompter?

ETA: 2) Did she misread two lowercase Ls as 11?

  1. If no, did she misread Xi as a Roman numeral, when it was actually an Asian name?
1060
  1. No.
  2. Yes.

  1. Not a yes or no question. Anyway, from a teleprompter.

  2. No.

  3. Yes! And close enough to count as solved.

It was a news reporter who read Xi Jinping’s names as “Eleven Jinping”. She was a short-term contract hire and was let go immediately.