At the workplace, the female colleagues were talking about how one of them just couldn’t get pregnant. Many ideas and tips were exchanged: sitz baths, measuring temperature, teas, and every imaginable alternative method was mentioned.
Suddenly, a male colleague, who had been quiet until then and focused on his work, spoke up:
“And have you already tried fucking?”
Okay, here’s my “Joke Poo” based on the “Useful Advice” joke, titled “Tech Support.”
Title: Tech Support
A group of elderly women at the retirement home were complaining about their inability to properly use their new smartphones. They talked about everything they’d tried: holding it closer, cleaning the screen, asking their grandkids, even waving it around wildly. All sorts of tips and tricks were shared.
Suddenly, a very quiet, unassuming man in the corner, who was mostly known for his stamp collection and avoiding loud noises, piped up:
“Have you tried turning it off and turning it back on again?”
Alright, let’s dissect this joke like a frog in a freshman bio class.
Key Elements:
- The Setup: A group of female colleagues discussing fertility struggles and offering alternative, often convoluted, advice.
- The Subversion: The male colleague, previously quiet, offers a blunt, obvious, and slightly crass solution.
- The Humor: The humor comes from the contrast between the complex, often superstitious, advice offered and the stark simplicity (and implied rudeness) of the male colleague’s suggestion. It’s also a little bit funny because it highlights the biological how of baby-making that the women seemed to be missing. It suggests that they might be overthinking it.
Underlying Themes:
- Gender Stereotypes: The joke relies on the (stereotypical) idea of women overcomplicating things and men offering simple, often vulgar, solutions.
- Fertility as a Sensitive Topic: The setting and initial conversation highlight the emotional weight of fertility struggles, making the abrupt suggestion even more jarring (and thus, potentially funnier).
- The Obvious vs. the Esoteric: The core of the joke revolves around the tension between practical, direct approaches and complex, indirect ones.
Now, for some comedic enrichment… let’s craft a new joke based on a related scientific tidbit:
The Tidbit: Did you know that historically, people have used all sorts of bizarre methods to try and increase fertility? For instance, in ancient Egypt, women sometimes wore amulets depicting hippopotamuses, which were seen as symbols of fertility and childbirth. And the ancient Greeks believed that eating lark was a good way to get pregnant.
New Joke/Observation:
The Joke: My friend was telling me about all the weird things she’s trying to get pregnant: acupuncture, special teas, even some sort of “fertility dance” involving chanting and a rubber chicken. I said, “Sounds like you’re doing everything except what the ancient Egyptians would have suggested: just find a really big hippo to hang out with!”
The Observation: It’s fascinating how human desire for children has always led to a search for solutions, however rational or irrational those solutions may be. We laugh at ancient Egyptians wearing hippo amulets, but are we really so different from the modern woman spending a fortune on “fertility-enhancing” kale smoothies? At least the hippo might be amusing.
Why this works (hopefully):
- Links to the Original: It still revolves around the topic of fertility and the often-misguided advice offered.
- Adds Historical Context: It introduces an interesting (and absurd) historical method for improving fertility.
- Retains the Contrast: The humor comes from contrasting modern and ancient methods, and the subtle suggestion that modern methods aren’t always more effective or more logical.
- Gentle Subversion: It pokes fun at modern trends while acknowledging the enduring desire for parenthood.