A new teacher, on his first day, noticed that the other children were teasing one boy, calling him “Mikey the Moron.”
During recess, the teacher asked the children why they called him that.
“Well, sir, he really is a moron,” one of the boys said. “If you offer him a big 50-cent coin and a smaller one-dollar coin, he’ll always choose the 50-cent piece because he thinks it’s bigger. Here, watch this.”
The boy held out both coins to Mikey. Just as expected, Mikey picked the 50-cent piece.
The teacher was surprised and later asked Mikey, “Why did you choose the 50-cent coin instead of the dollar?”
Mikey replied, “Look, sir. It’s bigger!”
After school, the teacher took Mikey aside.
“Don’t you understand that even though the 50-cent coin is physically larger, the one-dollar coin is worth more? You could buy more with it.”
“Of course I understand that, sir,” Mikey replied.
“Then why do you always choose the 50-cent coin?” the teacher asked.
Mikey smiled and said,
“Because the day I choose the dollar is the day they stop giving me money!”