Jim and Joe talk about communism.
"I don't know how it works" says Jim.
"That is easy" says John. "See, you have two donkeys and I have none. You give me one donkey and we both have one. That is communism. Now give me the donkey!".
OK, Jim gives Joe one donkey. When he gets home with only one donkey his wife is furious.
"How are you so stupid, why did you give him one of our donkeys? He has two cows and we have none. Now you go to his house and ask for one of his cows!".
OK, so Jim goes to Joes house.
"Joe, you told me about communism. Now you have two cows and I have none. So please, give me one of your cows!".
"No Jim, you completely did misunderstand this! Communism is only for donkeys!"
Joke Poo: Crypto Bros
Two crypto bros, Chad and Brad, are chatting about decentralized finance.
“I don’t get how staking actually works,” says Chad.
“Dude, it’s simple,” Brad replies. “See, you have two Bitcoin and I have zero. You give me one Bitcoin to stake, and we both have one staked. That’s DeFi! Now, cough up the Bitcoin!”
Chad reluctantly transfers one Bitcoin to Brad. When he gets home, his girlfriend, Tiffany, is furious.
“Are you kidding me?! You just gave away half your Bitcoin?! Brad owns like, five NFTs and we have none! You go back there and demand one of his NFTs!”
So Chad returns to Brad’s house.
“Brad, you explained DeFi to me. Now you have five NFTs and I have none. So, hand over one of those JPEGs!”
“Whoa, Chad, you totally misunderstood! DeFi only applies to Bitcoin!”
Alright, let’s dive into this donkey-based delve into the downsides of communism!
Joke Dissection:
- Core Concept: The joke is a satirical take on communism, highlighting the flawed logic and inherent unfairness perceived by some.
- Characters: Jim (the initially naive believer), Joe (the opportunistic explainer/profiteer), and Jim’s wife (the voice of practical, outraged reason).
- Mechanism: The humor arises from the absurdity of the “communism only for donkeys” punchline, exposing the self-serving nature of Joe’s interpretation and the inconsistent application of the supposed sharing principle. It’s also funny that Jim initially misunderstands the system and then gets manipulated by it and his wife.
- Key Elements: Donkeys, cows, inequality, self-interest, selective application of principles, misinterpretation of an idea.
Comedic Enrichment:
Let’s use some donkey-related facts to add another layer of humor:
Did you know: Donkeys are surprisingly intelligent and have excellent memories? They can recognize places and other donkeys they haven’t seen in 25 years.
New Joke/Observation:
“Jim, about this communism thing… you know, donkeys actually have a remarkably strong sense of fairness. Studies have shown they get stressed if they see another donkey getting more food. So maybe communism would work for donkeys… if they weren’t running the whole farm themselves! The problem is, we are not donkeys!
…Also, I did a little research. Giving you a cow from me would be considered bovinism, which is communism applied to bovines (cows). That’s not what we’re doing here today.”
Comedic Explanation:
The punch line of the original joke implies that Jim is not getting his fair share. The observation that donkeys are intelligent and get stressed when they see an unfair distribution of food, it is interesting that the same cannot be said for Jim and Joe.
Alternative Joke:
Jim: “Joe, I still don’t get this communism thing. You have two cows, I have none…”
Joe: “Right, Jim, so under communism, I’d give you one of my cows…”
Jim: “Great! …And what happens when I get two goats?”
Joe: “Ah, see that’s where the ‘from each according to his ability, to each according to his need’ part comes in. Goats are notoriously good at eating tin cans. So you’d start a metal recycling program! Now, about that cow…”
Comedic Explanation: This plays on the classic “from each according to his ability…” maxim often associated with communism. It adds humor by highlighting the often-impractical or absurd demands that might be placed on individuals under such a system. Also, the joke makes no mention of donkeys anymore, which might be beneficial, as it prevents the joke from becoming stale.