What more will it take to get their attention?

摘要

Anyone who has spent appreciable time in what the urbanites would call "the sticks" has probably come across idioms on how to deal with the human condition that likely would draw blank stares on the streets of Lower Manhattan. Here's one such saying that I've been thinking about a lot lately: "Sometimes, to get a mule's attention, you have to hit it in the head with a two-by-four."