There was a final exam to become a detective.
The chief commissioner gathers the three remaining candidates and presents them with the final test. They must look at a suspect’s mugshot for just a few seconds and then explain how they would recognize that suspect in a crowd.
The first candidate comes in, the commissioner shows him the photo, and after a moment, he says, “It’s easy! The suspect has only one ear and one eye, so he’s easy to spot.” The commissioner replies, “Are you stupid? That’s a side photo! Get out of here right now!”
The second candidate comes in, sees the photo, and after a few seconds says, “It’s easy! The suspect has only one ear and one eye, so he’s easily distinguishable in a crowd.” The commissioner gets angry again and says, “You’re an idiot too! Get out of here!”
The third candidate enters, and the commissioner warns him, “Be careful, because the others were really unqualified.” He shows the photo to the third candidate, who thinks for a moment and then says, “The suspect wears contact lenses.”
The commissioner is amazed because he doesn’t even remember if the suspect actually wore contact lenses, so he goes to check the records. He confirms that it’s true, and then he returns to the candidate and says, “Congratulations, you’ve become a detective! But I have to ask, how did you know that he wore contact lenses?”
The candidate replies, “Well, with only one ear and one eye, it’s hard to wear glasses!”
Explanation: All candidates assume the side-profile photo shows a one-eyed, one-eared man. The third seems insightful by inferring contact lenses, impressing the commissioner. The punchline reveals he relied on the same false assumption, just wrapped in smarter reasoning, making the cleverness entirely illusory and ironic.
