The whole crew is men only.
After a few days, the young sailor asks his superior… "Sir… how does one releave, you know, his male needs?"
The superior points to a barrel on the deck. "See that barrel there? There's a hole inside it. Just unzip and stick it in the hole. You'll get all the relief you need. You can use it on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays."
"What about Wednesdays?" asks the sailor.
"On Wednesdays, you're the one in the barrel"
Okay, here’s my attempt at a “Joke Poo” of the sailor joke, titled “The Intern’s Perk”:
The Intern’s Perk
A bright-eyed, bushy-tailed intern starts his first internship at a major tech company known for its quirky perks. The entire department is full of eccentric programmers.
After a few days, the intern nervously asks his mentor, “Sir… how does one, you know, de-stress around here? I’m used to ping pong tables, but I haven’t seen one.”
The mentor points to a VR headset hanging on a nearby wall. “See that headset there? It’s connected to a special simulation. Just put it on and you can access the ‘Executive Sandbox.’ You’ll get all the stress relief you need. You can use it on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.”
“What about Wednesdays?” asks the intern.
“On Wednesdays,” the mentor says with a sly grin, “You are the Executive Sandbox.”
Alright, let’s dive into this nautical nugget of questionable humor!
Joke Dissection:
- Core Concept: Exploitation and implied homosexual activity within a confined, all-male environment.
- Humor Source: The unexpected and rather blunt revelation of a “barrel rotation” schedule, subverting the sailor’s innocent inquiry. The humor hinges on the contrast between the sailor’s expectation of advice and the superior’s casual acceptance of this bizarre practice.
- Key Elements:
- The Innocent Sailor: A trope, representing naivety and a lack of experience.
- The Experienced Superior: A figure who’s normalized a potentially uncomfortable situation.
- The Barrel: A symbol of dehumanization and objectification, crucial to the punchline’s shock value.
- The Schedule: Adds a layer of absurdity by suggesting an organized, almost bureaucratic approach to this activity.
Comedic Enrichment Attempt:
Okay, let’s build something off this. Knowing that sailors in the age of tall ships faced months at sea with limited entertainment options, and given that “barrel rotation” is obviously a fictional (and hopefully not-actually-practiced) element, we can riff on the idea of onboard resourcefulness and the perils of cabin fever.
New Joke/Witty Observation:
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Option 1 (Joke):
Two grizzled, old sailors are swapping yarns in a bar. One says, “I tell ya, son, back in ’87, we were so bored at sea, we started organizing our barnacle-scraping sessions into a competitive sport. ‘Barnacle Olympics’, we called it. Long jump, high scrape, synchronized scrubbing… it got pretty intense.”
The other sailor takes a long swig of his rum and replies, “Sounds mild compared to ’83. We only had one barrel…”
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Option 2 (Witty Observation):
Did you know that during long voyages, sailors sometimes adopted onboard pets? Often cats to control the rat population, but also… sometimes just a barrel. It apparently helped with morale… though I’m told the weekly rota could be rather contentious. (Follow with a suggestive wink).
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Option 3 (Fun Fact – Leaning Into The Absurd):
“Sailing ships during long voyages carried barrels of all sizes for fresh water and goods. While on land barrels are fairly stable structures, on rolling ships, barrels could be very dangerous. It was not unheard of for barrels to break free of the netting that held them and roll wildly in the hold. Sailors would often play the game of “human bowling” to pass the time which involved a sailor climbing inside a barrel and hoping to knock down other sailors set up as “pins.” While the name never caught on, this game is the direct ancestor of modern day “Barrel Golf”.”
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Reasoning:
- The new joke plays on the same theme of boredom leading to unusual activities. It uses the original joke’s “barrel” as a punchline callback.
- The witty observation directly references the original joke’s absurdity while maintaining a lighter tone.
- Option 3 plays the absurd concept up even further with a ridiculous origin story for “Barrel Golf”
These attempts aim to capture a bit of the original’s dark humor while maybe making it a bit more broadly palatable (or at least less reliant on potentially offensive implications). Let me know if you want me to try another tack!