"Before you judge a man, walk a mile in his shoes. After that who cares? He's a mile away and you've got his shoes!"
The old proverb was trotted out recently, rather sanctimoniously, by someone in passing. Anyway my mind went straight to this. 🙂
Okay, here’s a new joke based on the Billy Connolly one, titled “Joke Poo,” attempting to maintain a similar structure and surprise:
Joke Poo: The Space Janitor
“Before you criticize a spaceman’s cleaning skills, spend a shift scrubbing zero-g toilets in his boots. After that, who cares? He’s light-years away, and you’re stuck with a pair of boots that definitely need disinfecting, plus the smell of space poo will haunt your dreams forever!”
Alright, let’s analyze this classic Billy Connolly joke:
Joke Breakdown:
- Setup: Starts with a common proverb, “Before you judge a man, walk a mile in his shoes.” This is the familiar, moralistic foundation.
- Twist: The proverb is then subverted with a pragmatic, arguably amoral, punchline. The walker’s intention shifts from empathy to theft. The punchline’s humor hinges on this surprising shift in motive and outcome.
- Key Elements:
- Proverb Subversion: Taking a well-known saying and twisting it for comedic effect.
- Greed/Selfishness: The humor relies on the audience’s understanding that people shouldn’t steal shoes, making the act funny because it’s unexpected.
- Practicality vs. Morality: The joke highlights the tension between doing the “right” thing (empathy) and seizing an opportunity (shoe acquisition).
- Distance: The physical separation adds to the humor. The victim is now far away and shoeless.
Comedic Enrichment & New Humor:
Okay, leveraging these elements, let’s create some new humor. Let’s focus on shoes and their unexpected journeys:
Option 1: “Did You Know?” Style Observation:
“Did you know that the average shoe travels over 1,000 miles in its lifespan? Which is remarkable, considering at least 10 of those miles are probably spent being walked in by a guy who’s just trying to get away with stealing them.”
Explanation:
- Takes a factual element (shoe mileage) and links it back to the joke’s theme of shoe theft and distance.
- Dry, understated delivery (like Connolly might use) maintains the humor.
Option 2: A New, Related Joke:
“A philosopher was once confronted with the ‘walk a mile in his shoes’ proverb. He pondered it for a moment, adjusted his own shoelaces, and said, ‘Interesting. But what if he has really amazing shoes? I mean, are we talking bespoke Italian leather? Because in that case, empathy takes a backseat to a good opportunity…and maybe a quick resole.'”
Explanation:
- Similar to the original, it uses a philosophical setup.
- The twist is focusing on shoe quality – a more specific and consumerist motivation than simple greed.
- The “resole” punchline adds a practical layer of humor (taking care of stolen goods).
Option 3: Witty Observation:
“The problem with walking a mile in someone else’s shoes? Blisters. And now you’re stuck with two pairs of uncomfortable footwear. See, that’s the REAL cost of empathy…and grand theft.”
Explanation:
- Plays on the unexpected practical consequence of the original scenario.
- The “blisters” are relatable, grounding the fantastical theft in a touch of reality.
- The final line re-emphasizes that it still is a crime.
Therefore, these new pieces of humor take the main points from the original joke of Billy Connolly’s and find new ways to express the themes of practicality over morality and subversion of expectations when using a cliche proverb.