Harvard study confirms âBlowinâ in the windâ is totally ineffective
A Harvard University study has challenged the mythical status of Bob Dylan by questioning the singer-songwriterâs key assertion that there are many situations in life where âthe answer is blowin in the windâ. This claim had never been formally tested, but thanks to a definitive final year Media Studies project at Harvard, spearheaded by Emeritus Professor Hyaz Akite, the theory may be finally laid to rest. Akiteâs breakthrough was in noting that the phrase âthe answer is blowinâ in the windâ could have two distinctly separate meanings, thereby giving rise to ambiguity and potential âwiggle roomâ to advocates of Dylanâs theory, but this was dealt with systematically in the study. In study Leg 1, it was assumed that âthe answer is blowinâ in the windâ meant that on windy days, that answers would be found to be floating around on Post It notes or other scraps of paper. Prof Akite assigned students binoculars and butterfly nets to identify and record answers that may appear in this specific âblowinâ in the windâ format. Leg 2 assumed that âthe answer is blowinâ in the windâ meant that by the act of forcibly blowing outwards, from the mouth, on a windy day, that answers to enigmatic questions would simply be forthcoming. In this leg, the form of the answers could not be assumed and hence the Students were asked to be open-minded with respect to the appearance of answers and for this leg, in a highly controversial move, Akite spiked his studentâs coffee with LSD. Although it was noted that while 30% of the study students were in fact shot by angry residents, 7% leapt to their deaths from windows pretending to be butterflies and a further 20% were hospitalised for psychosis, President Obama praised the study as highlighting the importance of American culture and world-class research in a world lacking in key US values. Bob Dylan was unavailable for comment but his spokesperson did state that he had always assumed the term to mean farting.