Yet Another Reason to Hate the Corporate World

Recently, we received a mass email which continues to amuse me. Amuse? No, maybe it just bothers me. Here it is:

Your Human Resources team is hosting a CARNIVAL - Luau style!!
When: Wednesday from 1:00 - 3:00
Where: Conf. Room 1077/1079
We will be having games, prizes and giveaways, you won't want to miss out
on all the fun. Stop by and test your HR knowledge for the chance to win
some great prizes.
We look forward to seeing you there!!!

This is such an easy target on so many levels. And it raises so many questions.
A CARNIVAL - Luau style. This conjures up some distinct imagery, doesn't it? You could take 'carnival' in the Rio, or Mardi Gras sense -- drunken, costumed revelers making noise, baring breasts, etc. Or we could use carnival in the freak show sense. In either case, the unlikely and awkward pairing of CARNIVAL and Luau makes me really uncomfortable. I imagine LuAnne, the Fish Girl who has no arms and has webbed feet hunched over a roasted pig taking chunks of pork from its glistening rump using only her teeth. Or Bendo, the Amazing Rubber Boy demonstrating his prowess at the Samoan fire dance.

And to me, this still doesn't really tie in to the overall concept of "HR and fun". Why would a bunch of Telecom IT drones be willing to participate in such merriment? Whose idea was this? Test your HR knowledge. Isn't that why we have an illustrious team of HR specialists? If we have a question, couldn't we just ask these people? Why would we even possess enough knowledge about HR to win the great prizes?

We're not in third grade. Please, next time, just give me a folder chock full of HR information. Save your budget. Better yet, let's put everything on the corporate website and you all can go find something better to do.... like maybe beef up your resume.