"However, they're always silent and they never smell!"
The doctor does a quick inspection, then prescribes her some pills.
A week later, the same old lady goes back to the doctor.
"I don't know what you gave me, but I'm still farting just as much, but now they stink to high heaven!"
Without even looking up, the doctor says,
"Now that we've fixed your sense of smell, let's work on that hearing."
Okay, here’s my “Joke Poo” version, titled appropriately:
Joke Poo: The Astronaut’s Air
An astronaut goes to the mission psychologist complaining about constant stomach rumblings while in orbit.
“It’s happening all the time, Doctor. They’re completely silent, which is unnerving in the quiet vacuum of space. But the worst part is, they’re weightless! They just kind of… drift around inside my suit.”
The doctor runs some diagnostic tests, then prescribes a course of dietary supplements designed to bind to gases.
A week later, the same astronaut calls the psychologist, clearly agitated.
“Doc, I don’t know what you gave me, but I’m still getting the rumblings, and they’re still weightless. The real problem is, now they’re solid!”
Without missing a beat, the psychologist replies, “Alright, we’ve fixed your digestion issue, now let’s work on your aiming.”
Alright, let’s break down this classic fart joke.
Elements of the Joke:
- Setup: Old lady, complaining of a common (and somewhat embarrassing) bodily function: farting. The twist is the farts are odorless and silent, seemingly not a problem.
- Expectation Violation: The doctor prescribes pills despite the seemingly benign nature of the complaint.
- Reversal/Punchline: The pills worsen the problem (smell), revealing the real underlying issue – the lady’s impaired senses. The doctor’s nonchalant response (“fixed your sense of smell, let’s work on that hearing”) delivers the final punch, highlighting the lady’s cluelessness and the doctor’s sardonic wit.
- Humor Source: The humor comes from the absurd situation, the reversal of expectations, the contrast between the lady’s perception and reality, and the doctor’s dry, almost insulting, delivery. It also plays on the embarrassment and taboo associated with bodily functions.
Enrichment and New Humor:
Let’s focus on the sense of smell element and its connection to fart odor. Did you know the primary culprit behind the foul smell of farts is hydrogen sulfide? It’s produced by bacteria in your gut breaking down food. And interestingly, while small amounts of hydrogen sulfide can smell like rotten eggs (the classic fart smell), extremely high concentrations can actually paralyze the olfactory nerve, causing you to lose your sense of smell. So, in a bizarre twist of fate, maybe the old lady’s farts were always THAT bad, and she was slowly self-immunizing!
New Joke/Observation:
Joke:
An engineer walks into a doctor’s office complaining of anosmia (loss of smell). The doctor asks, “Can you smell this alcohol swab?” The engineer says, “Nope.” The doctor sighs, then holds up a petri dish containing a sample of concentrated hydrogen sulfide. The engineer still can’t smell it. The doctor is baffled. Finally, the engineer says, “Doc, I think I’ve cracked the code! I’ve developed complete olfactory immunity!” The doctor replies, “Congratulations, sir. You’ve single-handedly made yourself the safest person to sit next to in a packed elevator.”
Amusing Observation:
It’s funny how we associate the term “silent but deadly” with farts. In reality, a truly deadly fart, one with enough hydrogen sulfide to knock you out, would probably be silent because it paralyzed your nose before you could even register the sound! It’s the ultimate comedic misdirection. You’d be blissfully unaware, a victim of olfactory espionage!
Why this works:
- Connects to the original joke’s theme of smell and its absence.
- Introduces a factual element (hydrogen sulfide and its potential olfactory effects).
- Uses a bit of nerdy humor by referencing an engineer (playing on the “fixing things” aspect of the original joke).
- Explores the dark humor possibilities related to an extremely potent fart.