My name is Sergeant Burtt. Remember — Burtt, there’s an R in the middle. If anyone says it wrong or makes fun of it, will be in big trouble.
From time to time, the commander asks soldiers to say his surname. Finally, he turns to the recruit.
Commander: “Alright, tell me my surname."
The recruit hesitates — he can’t remember.
His friend whispers: “Remember, there’s an R in the middle!”
The recruit lights up: “Oh, I remember now, Sergeant Arss!!!"
Joke Poo: The Coding Interview
An intern is being interviewed for a programming job at a tech company. On the first problem, the senior engineer says:
“This function is called Sortt. Remember – Sortt, there are two ‘t’s at the end. If you misspell it or mess it up, you’re in trouble.”
Throughout the interview, the engineer occasionally asks the intern to recall the function name. Finally, he poses a final challenge:
Engineer: “Alright, what’s the name of that sorting function we talked about?”
The intern stumbles – he’s stressed and drawing a blank.
Another intern, seeing his plight, whispers: “Remember, there are two ‘t’s at the end!”
The first intern’s face brightens with sudden clarity: “Oh! Right, Sergeant Ass!!!”
Alright, let’s break down this comedic gem.
Joke Dissection:
- Setup: Sets the stage with a new recruit in the army and introduces a comically sensitive sergeant with a name prone to mispronunciation.
- Key Element 1: The Name “Burtt”: The humor hinges on the potential for mishearing or mispronouncing “Burtt” as something vulgar. The emphasis on the “R” creates anticipation for the punchline.
- Key Element 2: Military Hierarchy & Fear: The sergeant’s threat of punishment creates an atmosphere of tension and fear, amplifying the potential consequences of messing up.
- Punchline: The recruit’s catastrophic misinterpretation of the friend’s cue results in an even more offensive and absurd response, creating the comedic payoff. The misunderstanding creates irony as the friend was trying to help, but actually made things worse.
- Type of Humor: Slapstick, wordplay, situational irony, and a touch of absurdity.
Comedic Enrichment:
Okay, so the joke’s all about names, the army, and epic fails. Let’s riff on that.
Interesting Fact: In the U.S. Army, there’s a phonetic alphabet used to avoid miscommunication. “Romeo” stands for the letter “R.” So, instead of whispering “There’s an R in the middle,” the helpful recruit should have been told, “Remember, Romeo in the middle!”
New Joke/Observation:
I heard about a new initiative to improve communication in the army. They’re rolling out a phonetic surname policy. So now, if a soldier’s name is “Burtt,” the sergeant has to introduce himself as “Sergeant Bravo-Uniform-Romeo-Tango-Tango.” Apparently, it’s done wonders for morale, especially among the Tango team. Though one recruit still managed to mess it up, greeting him with “Good morning, Sergeant Tango-Romeo-Uniform-Echo.” He’s currently doing push-ups…in the pronunciation lab.
Why it works:
- It builds upon the original’s focus on difficult names and army life.
- It uses the interesting fact about the phonetic alphabet to create a new, absurd scenario.
- It maintains the element of the recruit’s miscommunication and the sergeant’s potential wrath.
- The added layer of phonetic alphabet-related wordplay introduces new comedic possibilities.
- The punchline still evokes the image of the recruit being punished for his mistake
Bonus Wit:
Did you know that Sergeant Burtt’s grandfather was a typesetter? He always said, “Remember kids, there’s always an R in error!” Maybe Burtt should’ve taken that to heart instead of threatening his recruits.