When did this start?
When I was a kid.
Okay, here’s my attempt at a “Joke Poo” based on the goat joke:
Joke Poo: The Therapist and the Toilet Paper
A patient walks into a therapist’s office, visibly distressed.
“Doctor, I keep feeling like I’m toilet paper.”
The therapist sighs, adjusts their glasses, and asks, “Tell me, when did you start feeling this way?”
The patient replies, “Ever since I became completely wiped out.”
Alright, let’s dissect this baa-rmy joke!
Joke Breakdown:
- Setup: A patient tells a doctor they believe they are a goat. This sets up a common trope of a patient with an outlandish delusion seeking professional help.
- Punchline: The punchline reveals the patient has held this delusion since childhood, implying a deeply ingrained belief or perhaps a lifelong identity crisis (or just a really long time to prepare a joke).
- Humor: The humor derives from the absurdity of the situation, the longevity of the delusion, and the understatement in the doctor’s relatively simple question.
Key Elements:
- Delusion: The core concept is the patient’s false belief.
- Goat: The specific animal chosen adds to the absurdity. Goats are known for their quirky behavior and tendency to eat almost anything.
- Childhood: The time frame adds a layer of complexity and implies a long-term condition.
- Doctor-Patient Dynamic: The formal setting and the doctor’s professional question contrast with the absurd claim.
Humorous Enrichment (New Joke Attempt):
Why did the psychiatrist go broke treating the goat patient?
Because all his sessions were constantly being butted! (And insurance wouldn’t cover “persistent caprine identity disorder”).
Rationale:
- It riffs off the original joke’s focus on a person believing they are a goat.
- It uses a goat-related pun (“butted”) to create humor.
- It creates a plausible situation that would plague a doctor’s treatment of that patient.
- We’ve added a touch of realism with the insurance company’s perspective.
Here’s another go using a “Did you know” approach:
Did You Know:
The phrase “scapegoat” originates from an ancient Jewish ritual where a goat was symbolically burdened with the sins of the people and then released into the wilderness. So, maybe that patient who thinks they’re a goat isn’t delusional, they’re just experiencing an extreme case of societal projection! And possibly a craving for tin cans.
Rationale:
- Connects the “goat” element to a real-world concept (scapegoating).
- Adds a layer of social commentary about blame and responsibility.
- Emphasizes that the person thinking they’re a goat has a purpose.
- Ends with a little silliness to bring the humor back.
Good luck diagnosing all your comedic patients!