“Bump The Lamp” …. The Goofiest Motivational Meme I’ve Ever Heard

The first time Bump The Lamp was said in conversation at my job, it was so obtuse it went right by me. An hour later, I thought, “Did she say bump the lamp? Nah, couldn’t be. I musta heard it wrong” A week or so went by. Then; I heard it again. From the same Woman. She was a pretty high-up mucky muck in the organization, so I didn’t ask her about it. I buttonholed my Supervisor and he gave me the skinny….

He chuckled. “It’s from Disney. We’re all a little tired of hearing it, but Karen’s vice-president, so we gotta roll with it for the time being, and hope it dies a natural Death. Years ago, in a black-and-white Mickey Mouse cartoon they were working on, old Mick’ was tearing around in a room. Someone suggested he bump the lamp.”

“Another animator pointed out that if they did that, it would lead to a ton of extra work re-drawing all the shadows in the room to accommodate the swinging of the lamp. And that led to a larger conversation about artistic integrity. Whether they were willing to go the extra mile that much work would entail for the good of the project. They ended up doing it, and bump the lamp became a code phrase for quality”

So there. If you’re feeling intrepid, sprinkle Bump The Lamp in at the next big meeting and see how it goes. If people say “oooh” and think that’s just awfully damn clever, don’t forget who you got it from. If, on the other hand, people say it’s stupid, (Or, worse yet, you get a stony silence), call me Al.

Al Franken.

Be good everyone,

-Mark Rockford-