Some monks came down to a small village in need of carpentry. They offered to replace all the wooden pillars and support beams in all the buildings by themselves. When the villagers asked why they were being so generous, the head monk simply replied
"Isn't it obvious? We're reposting for karma."
Joke Poo: Mining for Memes
Some dwarves descended from their mountain halls into a bustling human city, offering to painstakingly reconstruct every street sign, monument inscription, and public notice, using only pure, painstakingly mined mithril. When the city council, bewildered, asked why they were undertaking such an extravagant endeavor, the head dwarf simply replied:
“Isn’t it obvious? We’re mining for memes.”
Okay, let’s break down this joke and then try to build on it.
Joke Dissection:
- Setup: Monks offer a seemingly selfless act of carpentry. This establishes a traditional expectation of monastic humility and service.
- Punchline: The head monk reveals the true motivation: “reposting for karma.” This unexpected and cynical twist flips the script, drawing a parallel between spiritual devotion and the pursuit of internet validation.
- Humor Source: The humor comes from the incongruity and irony of monks, traditionally associated with detachment from worldly desires, engaging in a behavior associated with online attention-seeking. It also relies on the audience’s understanding of “reposting” and “karma” in the context of online forums like Reddit.
Key Elements:
- Monks: Religious figures, traditionally associated with humility, service, and a detachment from worldly possessions and recognition.
- Carpentry: A practical, labor-intensive skill. Replacing pillars and support beams is a significant undertaking.
- Karma: A concept central to some religions (Buddhism, Hinduism), often associated with actions and their consequences. In online forums, “karma” is a point system based on upvotes.
- Reposting: Sharing content that has already been posted, often for the purpose of gaining attention (and karma).
- Irony: The core of the joke relies on the situational irony of monks desiring internet “karma”.
Comedic Enrichment & New Humor:
Let’s leverage some facts related to these elements to craft a new joke/observation:
Option 1: “Did you know?” Style Observation
“Did you know that the original Buddhist concept of Karma wasn’t instant like a Reddit upvote? It was more like replacing all the pillars in a village – a long-term investment in structural integrity… or maybe just a subtle flex that lasts centuries.”
Explanation: This play on the idea of the time investment for “real” karma vs instant gratification.
Option 2: New Joke
A group of monks are meticulously crafting miniature Zen gardens out of rice grains. A visiting layman asks, “Why are you spending so much time on something so small and impermanent?”
The head monk replies, “We’re micro-posting for micro-karma. Algorithm optimization, you know?”
Explanation: This builds on the previous joke, and plays on the ideas of “micro-posting” and “algorithm optimization” to make it contemporary.