One day a man was out fishing, and hooked a really big fish. As he thought himself all alone he exclaimed “son of a bitch that’s a big fish!”
However the man then noticed a young nun, Sister Anne, standing nearby looking shocked, so he turned to her and said “don’t worry, that’s just the name of this type of fish. It’s a sonofabitch fish. Here, help me reel it in.”
She seemed relieved, and, feeling bad about having lied to a nun, the man gave her the fish to take back to the convent — where she found everyone all abuzz. As it turned out, the Pope was coming for dinner!
So of course they were all excited, but Sister Mary was assigned to the kitchen and all she had was potatoes. However, Sister Anne said “oh, how about that big sonofabitch we caught?” Sister Mary looked shocked, so Sister Anne said “oh, don’t worry it’s just the name of this type of fish. It’s a sonofabitch fish.”
Sister Mary was very relieved, and roasted up the fish nicely. When it was time to plate, she turned to Sister Eugenia and said “could you help plate this roasted sonofabitch?” Sister Eugenia looked shocked, so Sister Mary said “oh, don’t be like that, it’s just what this type of fish is called. It’s a sonofabitch.”
Sister Eugenia looked relieved, so they all brought out the dishes of fish to the table, where none other than his holiness the Pope was sitting looking hungry. Sister Eugenia served the fish, and they all ate it with great vigor.
Once they were done the Pope turned to the nuns and said “that fish was the most delicious fish I’ve ever had. Where did you get it?”
Sister Anne said “I helped catch the sonofabitch.”
Sister Mary said “I cooked the sonofabitch.”
Sister Eugenia said “I plated the sonofabitch.”
The Pope looked at the three of them, leaned back in his chair, and said “you know what, you motherfuckers are alright.”
Joke Poo: The Board Meeting Blooper
One day, a junior marketing executive named Barry was presenting a new ad campaign in a high-stakes board meeting. He believed he had a killer slogan but, as he felt all alone, he muttered under his breath, "Son of a bitch, this campaign is genius!"
However, Barry then noticed the company’s notoriously prudish CEO, Mrs. Periwinkle, glaring at him from the head of the table. Mortified, he quickly recovered and said, "Don’t worry, Mrs. Periwinkle, it’s just the name of the target demographic. We’re calling them ‘Sonofabitch Shoppers’ – edgy, rebellious, and ready to spend!"
She seemed relieved, and, feeling incredibly awkward, Barry delivered the rest of his presentation with gusto. Later, in the break room, he found the marketing team buzzing with excitement. Apparently, Mrs. Periwinkle had loved the "Sonofabitch Shoppers" concept and decided it was the future!
So, of course, they were thrilled. Brenda from copywriting was tasked with writing the initial press release, but all she could think of was the negative backlash. However, Mark from creative said, "Relax, how about that ‘Sonofabitch Shoppers’ demographic Barry mentioned?" Brenda looked shocked, so Mark said "Oh, don’t worry, it’s just what Barry called our target demo. It’s ‘Sonofabitch Shoppers.’”
Brenda was very relieved, and penned a killer press release. When it was time for final approval, she turned to Dave from PR and said “Could you give this ‘Sonofabitch Shopper’ press release a once-over?” Dave looked shocked, so Brenda said “Oh, don’t be like that, it’s just what our target demographic is called. It’s ‘Sonofabitch Shoppers’.”
Dave looked relieved, so they all nervously presented the materials to Mrs. Periwinkle, who was beaming. Mrs. Periwinkle reviewed the campaign and said “This is perfect! I love how you’ve captured the spirit of our new consumer. Now, how are we launching this?"
Barry piped up “I came up with the Sonofabitch Shoppers campaign."
Brenda added, "I wrote the Sonofabitch Shoppers press release."
Dave chimed in, "I approved the Sonofabitch Shoppers material."
Mrs. Periwinkle, looked at the three of them, adjusted her glasses, and said “You know what? You’re all fired. I am not signing off on anything with ‘shoppers’ and those other words. The words ‘son’ and ‘bitch’ together are out of line, and don’t fit our company’s message."
Okay, let’s dissect this joke and spin some humor from it.
Key Elements of the Joke:
- Profanity: The central joke revolves around the unexpected use of the swear word "son of a bitch" (and escalating to "motherfucker") in a religious context.
- Misunderstanding: The man initially lies about the fish’s name to avoid offending the nun, leading to a cascading series of similar explanations and increasingly inappropriate situations.
- Incongruity: The juxtaposition of religious figures (nuns, the Pope) with vulgar language and behaviors creates comedic tension.
- Escalation: The situation escalates from a simple white lie to a full-blown profanity party with the Pope.
Analysis:
The humor stems from the escalating absurdity of the situation. Each instance of the phrase "son of a bitch fish" becomes funnier because of the increasingly inappropriate context. The Pope’s ultimate acceptance of the language and the people, even joining in himself, provides the punchline.
Humorous Tidbit and New Joke:
Humorous Tidbit:
Did you know that there is a fish actually called "Mother-of-Pearl"? It’s a type of abalone, and I bet none of those nuns would have been offended if they’d caught that instead.
New Joke:
A group of cardinals were having a fishing trip off the coast of Sicily. One of the cardinals, known for his foul mouth, hooked a massive tuna. As he struggled to reel it in, he exclaimed, "Holy guacamole, that’s a tuna-a-rama fish!".
Another cardinal, trying to be helpful, chided, "No, no, my brother. We can’t be using such language. Let us call it a ‘Blessed Tuna’."
Later, back at the Vatican, they were deciding how to prepare the fish for a grand feast. The chef, unsure, asked, "How should I cook this Blessed Tuna?"
One cardinal suggested, "Let’s grill it with herbs!" Another said, "Bake it with lemon!"
The cardinal with the foul mouth then spoke up, "Listen, I caught the tuna-a-rama, so we’re gonna do this my way! We are deep frying this beast and topping it with a mountain of garlic!"
The other cardinals gasped. "Cardinal, surely not!"
He looked them dead in the eye and said, "Look, we are going to cook the Tuna-a-rama. Or you can cook something else."
So the chefs cooked up the tuna the way the cardinal wanted. At the feast, everyone loved it. The Pope took a bite and said, "Cardinal, I am impressed by your choice to deep fry the tuna, but the chef tells me you call this, ‘Tuna-a-rama’, why?"
"Because it is! Once you eat it you become part of the tuna-a-rama! Come join us!"
The Pope looks back and forth to the Cardinals and the other members of the cloth… then picks up another bite… and exclaims, "Tuna-a-rama!"