The woman tells him, "For the past six months, every morning I take a cab to work. I don't have any money, so the cab driver asks me, 'So are you going to pay today or what?' so I take 'or what.'"
By this time I'm late for work so the boss asks me, 'So are we going to write you up for being late or what?' I need the job, so I take 'or what.'"
At the end of the day I take the cab and I still don't have any money so the cab driver asks me again, 'So are you going to pay this time or what?' so I take 'or what.'"
"So you see, doc, by the time I get home I'm exhausted and I don't want sex any more."
The doctor thinks for a second and then turns to the woman and says, "So are we going to tell your husband, or what?"
Joke Poo: The Accountant’s Audit
An accountant tells his therapist that his tax auditor wife hasn’t filed jointly with him in six months. The therapist then has the wife come in and asks her why she refuses to combine finances with her husband.
The woman sighs and says, “For the past six months, every morning I review the company’s expense reports. The CEO asks me, ‘Are we going to sign off on these questionable expenses, or what?’ I value my job, so I take ‘or what.'”
“Then, I have to face the board of directors. They ask, ‘Are we going to classify this debt as short-term, or what?’ I need to protect my reputation, so I take ‘or what.'”
“Finally, at the end of the day, I’m reviewing my own personal accounts when the tax man calls, “Are you going to hide your personal income or what” I need to stay out of jail, so I take “or what'”
“So you see, doc, by the time I get home I’m completely drained, and I can’t bear to even look at another balance sheet, let alone share my assets!”
The therapist nods sagely, pauses, and then leans in conspiratorially, “So, are we going to bill insurance for this session, or what?”
Alright, let’s break down this joke and then spice it up with some comedic enrichment!
Joke Dissection:
- Setup: A husband complains about a lack of intimacy. This establishes a common marital problem, setting the stage for an explanation.
- Punchline Setup: The wife provides a series of increasingly absurd scenarios involving taxi drivers and her boss demanding payment or disciplinary action. This builds comedic tension through escalating ridiculousness.
- Punchline: The doctor, now privy to the wife’s… alternative payment methods, uses the same phrase, implying he might also be open to “or what.” This punchline is funny because it’s unexpected, a betrayal of the doctor’s professional role, and it completes the pattern of the woman’s day.
- Humor Type: Absurdist, Situational, with a touch of dark humor. It relies on the unexpected and the transgression of social norms.
Key Elements & Facts for Comedic Enrichment:
- Taxi Drivers: Let’s face it, taxi drivers have seen it all. According to a survey, a surprising number of them have considered writing a tell-all book!
- Workplace Lateness: Chronic lateness can be a fireable offense… or, in some (rare and ethically questionable) cases, apparently negotiable. The average employee spends about 30 minutes per week being late, which, multiplied across the workforce, represents a massive loss of productivity… or, perhaps, a massive gain in… well, never mind.
- Doctor-Patient Confidentiality: Doctors are ethically bound to keep patient information private… unless “or what” becomes a compelling argument. Fun fact: Hippocrates, the OG doctor, probably didn’t write the Hippocratic Oath. It’s attributed to him, but scholarly consensus leans towards later authors. So, maybe ethical flexibility has been around for centuries!
Enhanced Humor Options:
Here are a few ways we can build on this joke:
Option 1: A New, Related Joke
A taxi driver goes to his doctor. “Doc, I’ve got a problem. Every passenger says ‘So are you going to pay today or what?’ and I keep saying ‘or what’!”
The doctor raises an eyebrow. “And the problem is…?”
The taxi driver sighs. “I’m exhausted!”
Option 2: Witty Observation
You know, that joke really highlights the power of creative problem-solving. Who knew “or what” could be a viable economic strategy… at least until you run out of energy? Maybe we need “or what” tax credits for exhaustion!
Option 3: Amusing “Did You Know?”
Did you know that in some ancient cultures, ‘services rendered’ were a perfectly acceptable form of payment? It’s just that they usually involved chores, not… cab fares. Also the ‘doctor’ was probably a shaman and the ‘husband’ was probably just confused.
Option 4: Doctor specific
A man goes to the doctor and says “I’m having intimacy problems with my wife”.
The doctor brings the wife in and says ” So are you going to tell him, or what?”
Why these options work:
- They tap into the same core humor: the absurd, the transgressive, and the slightly uncomfortable.
- They use real-world facts and observations to enhance the joke’s context and make it even funnier.
- They offer different levels of engagement, from a simple joke to a more thoughtful, witty observation.
I hope these meet with your approval and provide some new comedic enrichment!