# Talk Note: The 88-Year Joke
## Setup
Charles Morris defined the semiotic triad — syntax, semantics, pragmatics — in 1938. It's taken us 88 years to get to the third layer for federal statistical data.
## The Line
"It took us 88 years to get from Morris's definition of pragmatics to actually implementing it for federal data. And if an 88-year journey reaching 88 mph isn't a Back to the Future moment... well, you're gonna see some serious shit."
## Usage
- Talk ONLY. Not the paper.
- Use as a tension-breaker after the timeline slide or the semiotic framework slide.
- Gauge the room — FCSM audience skews senior enough to get the reference.
- If the room is too formal, cut it. If they laughed at anything earlier, use it.
## Correction
It's Morris 1938, not Bloom. Bloom's taxonomy is the remember/understand/apply/evaluate framework (1956). Don't mix them up on stage.
