The worst English teacher I ever had assigned us this to read, and then seemingly expected us to honor him for his cleverness. I did not find it clever then and do not find it clever now.
Optical illusions are sometimes clever, but their main function is to help you understand your perception by seeing the shortcuts it relies on. This essay is an auditory illusion to help illustrate that the words that are said may not be the ones you hear. I first saw it as a handout for missionaries going to foreign fields to help them focus on learning oral and not just written language.
To me it perfectly illustrates that the words that are said are in fact the words you hear.
Did you read it to yourself maybe? I had a stranger read it to me so it sounded like a strange accent. Kind of like Magic Eye, I did perceive both the illusion and the fakeness of it at the same time. But it definitely did not feel like telling Siri to read the list
* ladle
* rat
* rotten
* hut
I find it a delightful bit of whimsy and am sorry you can't enjoy it.