A new teacher, on his first day, noticed that the other children were teasing one boy, calling him "Mikey the Moron."
During recess, the teacher asked the kids why they called him that.
"Well, sir, he really is a moron," one of them said. "If you offer him a big 50-cent coin and a smaller one-dollar coin, he'll always choose the 50-cent piece because he thinks it's bigger. Here, watch this…"
The boy held out both coins to Mikey, who, as predicted, took the 50-cent piece.
The teacher was surprised and asked Mikey later, "Why did you choose the 50-cent coin instead of the dollar?" Mikey replied, "Look, sir, it's bigger!"
After school, the teacher approached Mikey privately. "Don't you understand that even though the 50-cent piece is physically larger, the one-dollar coin is worth more and you can buy more with it?"
"Of course I understand that, sir," Mikey said.
"Then why do you always choose the 50-cent piece?" the teacher asked.
Mikey replied, "Because the day I choose the dollar is the day they stop giving me money!"
Joke Poo: The Pigeon Professional
A seasoned birdwatcher, renowned for his encyclopedic knowledge of avian species, noticed that the other birders were chuckling whenever a particular pigeon landed. They referred to it as “Percy the Pigeon Pro.”
During their lunch break, the birdwatcher asked the group why the pigeon had such a name.
“Well, he truly is a professional,” one birder explained. “If you offer him a perfectly good, untouched crust of bread and a crust that’s been discreetly… uh… ‘seasoned’ by a nearby dog, he’ll always choose the seasoned one. Watch.”
The birder presented both crusts. Percy, without hesitation, pecked the ‘seasoned’ crust from his hand.
The birdwatcher was perplexed and later asked Percy, “Why did you choose the… the other crust instead of the perfectly good bread?” Percy just cooed softly.
Later that evening, the birdwatcher lured Percy onto his balcony with a trail of birdseed. “Percy, be honest with me,” he whispered. “Don’t you understand that the plain bread is far more nutritious and… palatable than… that other stuff?”
Percy puffed out his chest. “Of course, I understand that,” Percy cooed back.
“Then why do you always choose the… the doggy crust?” the birdwatcher implored.
Percy preened a feather. “Because the day I choose the plain bread is the day they stop offering me anything!”
Alright, let’s dissect this joke.
Key Elements:
- The “Moron” Label: The setup hinges on the initial assumption that Mikey is unintelligent.
- The Coin Trick: This is the central mechanism for reinforcing (and ultimately subverting) the “moron” perception.
- Naive Teacher: The teacher acts as a foil, representing conventional wisdom and a lack of street smarts.
- Mikey’s Deception: The punchline reveals Mikey’s cunning and strategic thinking, turning the tables.
- Greed/Pragmatism: Mikey’s motivation is simple: maximizing his gains, even if it means playing dumb.
Humor Analysis:
The humor comes from the unexpected reversal. We’re led to believe Mikey is foolish, only to discover he’s playing a game for personal gain. The joke taps into our assumptions about intelligence and challenges the surface-level assessment of others.
Now, let’s build something new from these elements:
Witty Observation/Joke Expansion:
“You know, the real joke isn’t that Mikey fools everyone with the coins. It’s that he understands behavioral economics better than most adults. It’s basically a reinforcement schedule. ‘Pick the smaller coin, get more coins!’ He’s a tiny, pint-sized Skinner in training… although I bet he’d have a tough time explaining that to the teacher.”
Amusing ‘Did You Know’ (related to the joke’s themes):
“Did you know that the ‘irrational’ behavior Mikey exhibits in the joke – choosing the immediate, smaller reward over the delayed, larger one – has a real-world counterpart called ‘delay discounting’? It’s why people struggle to save for retirement, why they prefer instant gratification, and probably why the IRS exists in the first place. So next time you feel guilty about impulse buying, just remember, you’re all just a bunch of ‘Mikeys’ at heart.”
New Joke (building on the original concept):
“Mikey grew up and became a politician. Every election, he promised the voters smaller, more immediate benefits – tax cuts for the wealthy that would ‘trickle down,’ subsidies for industries that were about to fail, the usual stuff. When asked why he didn’t focus on long-term investments like infrastructure or education, he just winked and said, ‘Because the day I promise them something big that takes time, is the day they stop giving me votes!'”
Why these work:
- The observation uses economic terms to make the joke more interesting
- The ‘Did You Know’ connects the joke to psychology
- The new joke applies the underlying principle of the original to a different situation. All build upon the initial setup and offer a fresh angle or interpretation.