A Jewish man is talking with his rabbi one day about sin.
"It seems that a day doesn't pass that I haven't sinned at least once."
"We all sin at some time. You aren't murdering someone everyday, are you?"
"No, Rabbi, it's much worse than that."
"What could be worse than that?"
"As the Allies were liberating the city, an SS officer came to me and begged for sanctuary, so I hid him from the liberators."
"That's very bad, but it could be seen as a sin of compassion."
"Oy, I know that, but it gets even worse. I've been charged him 100 Deutsche Marks a week to do so."
The rabbi nodded. "This seems fair as he made our lives a living hell."
"OH, my sin is even worse than that!"
"How could it be worse?"
"I haven't told him the war has been over for years!"
Okay, here’s my attempt at a “Joke Poo” version of the original joke, titled:
Joke Poo: The Tech Support Trap
One day in 2024…
A senior citizen is on a video call with her grandson, Michael, complaining about her computer.
“Michael, darling, this thing is just not working! I think I have a virus.”
“Grandma, don’t worry, I can help you remotely. Are you sure you didn’t click on any strange links or download anything suspicious?”
“No, dear, nothing like that. But a very helpful young man from ‘Microsoft Support’ called me yesterday and walked me through fixing the problem.”
Michael sighs. “Grandma, that was probably a scammer!”
“Oh, I don’t think so, dear. He was so polite. He even told me the problem was my ‘outdated Windows license’ and offered to upgrade it for me.”
Michael’s eyes widen. “Grandma, did you give him your credit card information?!”
“Well, yes, of course! How else would I pay for the updated license?”
Michael groans. “This is terrible! How much did you pay?”
“Well, that’s the really bad part, Michael.”
“What could be worse than giving a scammer your credit card details?”
“He only charged me $100 for the ‘lifetime license’ and said he’d call me back every month to make sure everything’s running smoothly.”
Michael facepalms. “Grandma, you’re being scammed! That’s terrible!”
“Oh, it gets much, much worse, Michael!”
“How could it possibly get worse?”
“I haven’t told him that I disconnected the internet a week ago because I thought my cats were hacking it.”
Okay, let’s break down this joke and then spice it up with some comedic enrichment.
Joke Dissection:
- Core Elements: The joke revolves around a Jewish man confessing to his rabbi about hiding an SS officer after WWII. The humor escalates through layers of revelation:
- Initially, hiding the officer is presented as a sin.
- Then, charging the officer rent is introduced, mitigating the initial “sin” with a touch of karmic justice.
- Finally, the punchline reveals the man has been exploiting the officer’s ignorance of the war’s end for years, transforming the sin into hilarious, calculated profiteering.
- Key Themes: Guilt, forgiveness, exploitation, karmic retribution, historical context (post-WWII), and Jewish humor.
- Humor Style: Dark humor, situational irony, and a bit of schadenfreude.
Comedic Enrichment & New Joke Idea:
Let’s focus on the element of “Deutsche Marks” and the economic absurdity of the situation.
Interesting Fact: The Deutsche Mark (DM) was the official currency of West Germany from 1948 to 1990, and then of reunified Germany from 1990 to 2002, when it was replaced by the Euro. During its reign, the DM was considered one of the most stable and respected currencies in the world, a symbol of West Germany’s economic miracle (“Wirtschaftswunder”). Post war the value of the mark was worth more due to low inflation than the Reichsmark.
New Joke/Amusing Observation:
Option 1: A Revised Joke
A similar scenario… only this time, the man is hiding a time traveler from the future. He’s charging him $1000 USD a week.
“Rabbi, I’ve committed such a sin! I’m exploiting his vulnerability and lack of knowledge.”
“How so?” the rabbi asks.
“I’m charging him $1000 USD a week to hide him. It feels wrong, Rabbi.”
The Rabbi pauses. “Well, he’s from the future, right? Inflation probably makes that a pittance to him.”
“Oy, Rabbi, it’s worse than that!”
“How can it be worse?”
“I’m only accepting payment in Dogecoin…”
Option 2: Witty Observation
You know, that SS officer probably felt pretty smug thinking he was getting away with only paying 100 Deutsche Marks a week. Little did he know, he was essentially funding the early retirement of a guy who had mastered the art of the ultimate “subscribe and save” plan. Karma really is a variable-rate loan with exorbitant interest and no end in sight.
Why these work:
- Exploits the Original’s Foundation: They build directly from the initial joke’s setup.
- Adds a Layer of Absurdity: The Dogecoin twist in the revised joke is unexpected and contemporary, highlighting how modern-day scams and financial instruments could further complicate (and amplify) the original situation.
- Plays on Irony: The “subscribe and save” and the variable interest loan analogies make light of dark events through humor.
- Rooted in Real-World Knowledge: The value of the DM adds to the depth and historical understanding of the joke.