I have a huge problem with the original 7 ate 9 joke. The question of why 6 was afraid of 7 is ridiculous in the first place. The obvious assumption is that 6 is afraid of 7 because 7 is a larger number and therefore stronger/more powerful. It shouldn't be a mystery that 6 was afraid of 7 and that causes the whole joke to fall apart. The opening question should be asking why 10 is afraid of 7. This is a tantalizing intro; the perfect mystery to tempt someone into wanting to hear the answer. "Yeah, that's a good question. Why is 10 afraid of 7? I am eager to learn the reason. 10 is clearly the superior number. It's larger, presumably stronger, and it even has two digits contained within. It's basically its own backup if a fight breaks out, especially against a number that's three below in the classist hierarchy of the number civilization." And that's when you spring the answer on them: because 7 ate 9. Whoa. This isn't just a pun. It challenges the most basic fundamentals of number society. 7 is hitting way above it's weight class. 10 absolutely should be afraid. For all 10 knows, 7 is coming for it as we speak. 7 doesn't obey the rules, 7's been working out. 7 is taking the whole world by storm. 7 is chaos incarnate and he's outside the purview of both the law and common culture (which has likely been steadfast and unchanged for millennia). 7 has never been more than 7, but suddenly 7 is more than 9. 10 is ♥♥♥♥♥♥.