A woman calls the cops and says, "You have to get an officer over here right now. The man in the building across from me is walking around naked. It's indecent!" A policeman comes to her door, and the woman leads him into the living room and says, "He's in that building, right there." The cop looks and says, "I don't see anything." "Well, of course not from there," says the woman, "But if you take these binoculars and stand on the couch…"
Joke Poo: The Astronomer’s Find
An astronomer calls the university security office, agitated. “You need to send someone to the observatory immediately! There’s a man out there behaving very strangely with the telescope!”
A security guard arrives, and the astronomer ushers him into the dome, pointing dramatically. “He’s right there, messing with our most powerful telescope! It’s completely inappropriate behavior!”
The security guard glances at the telescope, then back at the astronomer. “Sir, I don’t see anything out of the ordinary.”
“Well, of course not from down here!” the astronomer exclaims, grabbing a step ladder. “If you climb up there and look through the eyepiece, you’ll see he’s using it to look at Earth!“
Alright, let’s break down this binoculars joke!
Joke Dissection:
- Setup: A concerned woman reports her neighbor for indecent exposure. This sets up a premise of moral outrage and law enforcement intervention.
- Twist/Punchline: The humor comes from the reveal that the woman is using binoculars to observe her neighbor, and even encouraging the police officer to do the same. This subverts the initial expectation of pure moral outrage and suggests a voyeuristic interest on the woman’s part. The humor derives from the hypocrisy.
Key Elements:
- Indecent Exposure: The crime being reported.
- Voyeurism: The woman’s secret motivation.
- Binoculars: The tool enabling the voyeurism.
- Hypocrisy: The woman’s apparent moral outrage masking her own actions.
- Police Officer: The authority figure initially intended to fix the issue, but then encouraged to join in the behavior.
Humor Enrichment: A “Did You Know?” Observation Based on Indecent Exposure & Obscenity Laws
Did you know that laws regarding indecent exposure and obscenity have been around for centuries, but often rely on subjective definitions of “community standards”? Which means, theoretically, in a nudist colony, reporting someone for indecent exposure might actually be the indecent act! Imagine the paperwork. The police just give up and start tanning.
Explanation of Humor:
This “Did You Know?” leverages the key element of “indecent exposure” and juxtaposes it with the idea of “community standards”. It highlights the absurdity of applying traditional indecency laws in a context where nudity is normalized. The humor arises from the incongruity and the image of police officers abandoning their duties to join a nudist colony. This indirectly connects to the original joke by highlighting the subjective nature of what is considered “indecent” and how context dramatically changes perceptions. The woman in the joke might think she’s upholding community standards, but her actions point to a different standard, a more private and personal one.