Outside the labor ward in an Israeli hospital sits a nervous looking man. From time to time he gets up and paces around anxiously.
Then out comes a nurse. “Mazal tov!” she exclaims. “It’s a girl!”
The father’s face falls then contorts into rage. He starts yelling, kicking over chairs, and overturning tables. Through the ruckus, it becomes clear that this is now his tenth daughter — and he clearly had been hoping for a son.
The nurse runs back into the labor ward, then returns a minute later, calling the man’s attention. “Sir, sir! I’m terribly sorry — I made a mistake! It’s actually a boy!”
The father ceases his tantrum, and looks impatiently at the nurse. “A boy? You’re sure it’s a boy?”
“Yes, sir,” she replies. “Mazal tov!” And she disappears back into the labor ward.
An eerie silence descends over the wreckage of the waiting area, and the father turns smugly to a shocked bystander.
“See? See what you’ve gotta do if you want to get anything done in this country?”