I’m sharing this advice because it worked for me.

Joke Poo: The Coding Cure

A guru on YouTube said that in order to achieve coding enlightenment, we must always finish what we start.

Since we could all use more enlightenment in our lives, I looked around my apartment for programming projects I’d started and not finished.

I completed a half-built AI chatbot, a mostly functional e-commerce website, a barely debugged game engine, and a really ambitious blockchain-based cat video sharing platform.

Now I have crippling anxiety, carpal tunnel syndrome, and I’m pretty sure I’ve developed a caffeine addiction. Send this to all your friends who need coding enlightenment! Tell them to never start anything. And, please send coffee!

Okay, let’s dissect this joke and then inject some humor-enhancing factual goodness.

Joke Dissection:

• Premise: The joke hinges on the misinterpretation of “finishing things you start” as a path to inner peace, as advised by a TV doctor.
• Punchline: The narrator interprets this advice literally and finishes off a variety of alcoholic beverages and prescription medications, followed by chocolates.
• Humor Source: The humor stems from:
  • Irony: The “inner peace” is achieved through reckless and self-destructive behavior, the complete opposite of what the advice intended.
  • Absurdity: The list of finished items is increasingly excessive and improbable.
  • Slurring: The last line shows the speaker becoming progressively more impaired, adding to the ridiculousness.
  • Dark Humor: There’s a hint of darkness in the casual mention of prescription medication.

Key Elements:

• TV Doctor (Authority Figure): The joke leverages the perceived authority of a doctor to justify the initial premise.
• Alcohol (Stoli, Jack, Captain Morgan, Rum): Specific types of alcohol contribute to the escalating sense of debauchery.
• Prescription Medication (Valium): The inclusion of Valium raises the stakes and adds a layer of dark humor.
• Chocolate (Chocolates): Serves as a light-hearted contrast to the harder items and ends on a sweet note.
• Slurred Speech: An indicator of intoxication.

Humor Enrichment – “Did You Know?” and New Joke:

“Did You Know?” (Enhanced Humor):

“Did you know that ‘inner peace’ is a literal translation of the German word ‘Ruhestand’ which also means ‘retirement’? So, maybe the doctor wasn’t suggesting a night of boozing and pills, but rather, suggesting you leave your soul-crushing job and let your liver finally relax for a bit. Though, if you do choose the boozing route, maybe skip the Valium. Inner peace is great, but a full stomach pump ain’t no picnic!”

New Joke (Building on the Original):

My therapist told me I needed to confront my unfinished business. I was ready to tackle that screenplay I never finished, or maybe finally learn to play the ukulele.

Instead, I found an old bag of Halloween candy from 2018. You haven’t lived until you’ve confronted a stale Snickers bar that personally.

Now, I’m not saying it cured my anxiety, but at least my dentist is really going to hate me. She can tell me about my “unfinished business” later.

Explanation of Choices:

• “Did You Know?”: The “Did You Know?” uses a playful re-framing to add a touch of intellectual humor. The connection to German, and the dual meaning of Ruhestand, makes people think in another direction. This is further enhanced by suggesting to skip the Valium, as that is the most serious issue in the joke.
• New Joke: The new joke takes the original concept of tackling unfinished business and applies it to candy. The humor comes from the contrast between the expected seriousness of therapy and the triviality of stale candy and a visit to the dentist. The reference to unfinished business brings it full circle.