Many years ago, in the days when popularist fiction was beginning to take off, a writer wrote letters to all sorts of people across the world and published the replies. Henry Root wrote silly and semi-serious letters receiving standard replies that made no sense, to people who participated in the joke. To a captain of industry who had just received £200,00 million for his business he asked for a pound as he was hard up and he received a pound with a note, ‘don’t thank me I have £200,000 million more.’
In today’s world such replies wouldn’t even be seen as a joke. Any reply would be jumped on by some journalist or critic. Many of the replies received would not even be sent today for fear readers would think it too frivolous.
Apart from the fact that it was an idea that had its time and might have to be more sophisticated today, I find it a shame that no one can let their guard down today. That there is an industry that prohibits the practical joke that celebrity can join with. Are they supposed to be so rich they cannot laugh, cannot have fun? Is there so much distaste for famous people around the world to let their hair down now-and-again?