But he changed his mind. He decided to stick it out another year.
Joke Poo:
Title: Brenda the Baker was planning on closing up shop next week…
But then she saw her competitor’s new advertising campaign. She decided to knead to keep up!
Okay, let’s dissect this joke:
Core Joke Structure: It’s a pun-based joke built on misdirection. The setup leads you to believe the joke will focus on a typical retirement scenario for a flasher named Arnie. The punchline uses the double meaning of “stick it out” – to persevere, and to literally expose oneself (a key action of a flasher).
Key Elements:
- Arnie (the name): Possibly chosen for its commonality, making the character relatable.
- Flasher: The specific (and illegal) profession providing the humor context.
- Retirement: The expected life event that sets up the misdirection.
- “Stick it out”: The pun itself, carrying both a literal and figurative meaning.
Analysis: The humor derives from the unexpected twist and the uncomfortable visual imagery suggested by the pun. It’s slightly edgy, relying on the taboo nature of indecent exposure.
Comedic Enrichment & New Joke:
Let’s build on this, using a real-world legal concept related to indecent exposure to create a slightly different comedic take:
New Angle: The “Reasonable Person” Test and the Inadvertent Flasher
Did you know that many laws regarding indecent exposure rely on the “reasonable person” standard? Meaning, the courts often ask “would a reasonable person find this action offensive or shocking?”
New Joke:
Arnie the accidental exhibitionist was brought in for questioning after a particularly windy kite-flying competition. He protested vehemently, “Your honor, the gusts were unexpectedly strong! A reasonable person would understand my mishap! It was a complete accident!”
The judge peered over his glasses and replied, “Mr. Arnoldson, while I appreciate your appeal to the ‘reasonable person’ standard, I’m afraid the prosecution has presented compelling evidence: Specifically, the photo of you attempting to use your kite string as a makeshift suspender belt. That, sir, is beyond reasonable. It’s kite unreasonable.”
Explanation of the Enhancement:
- It incorporates a real legal principle (the reasonable person standard) into the context of indecent exposure, adding a layer of unexpected knowledge.
- The kite-flying adds an element of absurdity and relatable scenario (windy days are annoying!).
- The “kite” pun at the end continues the theme of silly humor based on wordplay.
- It also softens the original joke’s edge a bit, focusing more on awkwardness and misunderstanding than the act of flashing itself. This can make the humor more accessible and less offensive.