It was such a nice day, and they were so much in love, that they decided to carve their initials into a tree.
Fast forward 5 years, and they got married. That prompted them to return to the tree, and carve in the year.
Then a decade went by, and as expected, they returned to the tree for every child.
Until finally one day, the family was camping under the tree, and during the night, it fell over and killed them all.
What's the moral of the story?
Karma's a birch!
Joke Poo:
One afternoon, a young programmer was tasked with optimizing a particularly slow database query. It was a beautiful day, but he was so dedicated to his job that he decided to leave insightful comments throughout the code.
Fast forward 5 years, and the company finally upgraded their database system. That prompted them to review the old code, and they decided to delete all the unnecessary comments.
Then a decade went by, and with each new software architecture, they deleted more and more of the comments.
Until finally one day, a critical bug arose, and the original programmer was long gone. The team desperately tried to understand the legacy code, but without the comments, they couldn’t find the root cause. The system crashed, and the company went bankrupt.
What’s the moral of the story?
Comments can save your aspen!
Alright, let’s dissect this darkly humorous joke!
Elements Identified:
- Setup: Teenage couple carving initials, idyllic love, repeated returns to the tree over time.
- Foreshadowing (subtle): The accumulation of carvings (weight? weakening?), camping under the tree.
- Twist/Subversion: The expected “happily ever after” is brutally denied. Instead of witnessing a symbol of their enduring love, the tree becomes the instrument of their demise.
- Punchline: “Karma’s a birch!” – A pun using “birch” (a type of tree) in place of “bitch”. This adds a sardonic, darkly comedic layer by personifying karma as a vengeful and capricious force.
Interesting Tidbits & Factual Connections:
- Tree Carving: Carving into a tree disrupts the phloem, the tissue that transports nutrients from the leaves to the rest of the tree. Excessive carving can weaken a tree, making it susceptible to disease or, indeed, falling.
- Birch Trees: Birch trees are known for their relatively short lifespans compared to other trees like oaks or redwoods. Their bark is also quite thin, making them vulnerable to damage.
- Karma: The concept of karma originated in ancient Indian religions and philosophies. While often associated with just desserts, it’s a more complex system of cause and effect. The joke exploits the simplified (and often misapplied) understanding of karma as immediate retribution.
New Humor Creation (Witty Observation):
“You know, I’m starting to think that those ‘tree of love’ carvings are less a symbol of eternal romance and more a targeted attack by a disgruntled arborist’s union. Seriously, how many of those trees end up becoming firewood because some lovesick teenager decided to immortalize their fleeting summer fling?”
Explanation of the New Humor:
This observation builds on the original joke by:
- Expanding on the tree carving element: It suggests a more rational (and cynical) explanation for the tree’s demise, moving away from the supernatural “karma” angle.
- Introducing an element of absurdity: The idea of an arborist’s union plotting revenge on defaced trees is inherently humorous.
- Highlighting the irony: The carvings, intended to symbolize permanence, often lead to the tree’s destruction, thus negating the initial intention.
- Parodying the cliche: It pokes fun at the common practice of carving into trees as a romantic gesture.
This new humorous piece aims to be a playful and sarcastic continuation of the original joke’s dark humor, exploring the consequences of seemingly innocent acts through a more grounded, yet still absurd, lens.