Arguments from etymology

Apropos of the Language Log's recent posts about stupid arguments from etymology, here's a Deep Thought from Jack Handy that I just ran across in a friend's bathroom reading. For full effect, imagine light classical guitar over a closeup of a dewdrop while a solemn voiceover reads:

"Maybe in order to understand mankind, we have to look at the word itself. Mankind. Basically, it's made up of two separate words—"mank" and "ind." What do these words mean? It's a mystery, and that's why so is mankind."