Tag Archives: jokes

Fecal Expressions

Some expressions have a way of perfectly capturing a sentiment with crude efficiency. When thinking about what to collect for this project, I was reminded of our first lecture in class and how we managed to get on the topic of toilet humor and remembered two great examples that my friends love to quote.

  • Version 1: “Does a bear shit in the woods?!”
  • Version 2: “Does the Pope shit in the woods?!”

Both are used in response to an obvious question, a kind of rhetorical jab meant to emphasize just how ridiculous it is to ask in the first place. I actually laugh at how they both have the same quote just with a little twist, even more funny is the fact that they both know of the other version, they just prefer their one over the other.

One of my informants initially heard “Does a bear shit in the woods?!” at summer camp, a natural folklore printer. They recalled older campers saying it to younger ones whenever they asked something obvious:

“I think I first heard it when I asked if we were eating lunch after swimming[something they had already done three days straight], and some older kid hit me with, ‘Does a bear shit in the woods?!’ I was definitely too young to even process what they meant…”

My other informant, on the other hand, swears they picked up “Does the Pope shit in the woods?!” from their dad. I personally believe this as their dad is one of the funniest dads of our friend group and has no filter whatsoever. Although they don’t have an exact recollection of their first encounter with the expression, it was ingrained in their brain enough to make that joke at least once a month.

Both expressions are used in familiar settings—ones where you’re comfortable enough with someone to respond to their obvious question with something ridiculous. There’s an inherent risk in using these because they can come off as crass or even a little aggressive. It’s interesting to reflect upon the fact that my friends instinctively knew it only worked best in close circles, no one ever explicitly told them that they couldn’t say it otherwise, it is just a known fact that these kinds of statements are almost seen as taboo in casual conversation. It only works in situations where there’s an unspoken understanding that humor is at play(with your mates).

Expressions like these rely on shock value and taboo humor. This is typically why you only hear these kinds of jokes or expressions within specific contexts. Crude humor, especially potty/toilet humor, is one of the oldest and most universal forms of comedy. It is easy to understand why as everyone relates to this in some way, whether they like it or not. Toilet humor is inherently human: bodily functions are funny and that is a fact. Folklorists have long noted that humor isn’t just about a good set-up and a well thought-out punchline; it can emerge in irreverent, subversive, and random ways.

Humor has long had the ability to push boundaries and create social bonds. The shock factor in jokes like these is what makes them memorable. They’re designed to make you laugh precisely because they play with expectations, dancing around what can be considered taboo or appropriate. This is the same mechanism behind the formula of “dark humor”, including disaster jokes and internet meme culture.

In Of Corpse: Death and Humor in Folklore and Popular Culture, Christie Davies explores how jokes often emerge in response to tragedy or social discomfort, acting as a form of defiance against rigid norms. Just like disaster jokes challenge how we’re “supposed” to react to tragic events, these fecal expressions challenge conversational norms by responding to simple questions with something wildly inappropriate.

This also explains why phrases like these tend to stay within friend groups, families, or tight-knit communities—they require shared humor and an understanding that the crudeness is part of the joke, not the insult. These communities showcase specific examples of the folk and their lore and give a good example of potential contention between what people find funny.

Family Nicknames

AGE: 53

DATE OF PERFORMANCE: 02/19/2025

LANGUAGE: English 

NATIONALITY: American 

OCCUPATION: Attorney

PRIMARY LANGUAGE: English 

RESIDENCE: New York 

For context, I am the youngest daughter out of two girls, and my mother is the oldest daughter out of three girls. Ever since I could speak and act, I have been consistently compared to my mom’s youngest sister, my aunt Janis. In interviewing my mother, I sought to answer why.

Interviewer: Is there a running tabooistic joke or joke in general that runs among our family?

TL: “Well, I can’t think of anything off the top of my head, but we did use to call you Lil Poo Poo or Stinker! To be honest, we still call you that now. We never really had a nickname for Nicole [my older sister] though.”

Interviewer: Is there any particular reason that you called me that?

TL: “I can’t quite remember, but one day it just came out and it stayed. I think it’s because you’re the youngest and the baby of our family.”

Interviewer: Was there any other jokes that ran in our family?

TL: “Well your Aunt Janis also had a nickname when she was younger. We used to call her Gani [가니], which means little jokester in Korean. She was always running around and had the reputation of a jokester… plus her Korean name is Eunhae [은헤] so we used to combine the names together. She’s also the youngest like you.”

PERSONAL INTERPRETATION:

It’s completely natural for families to joke with each other and give each other nicknames. Especially in Korean culture, there are designated titles that we call someone depending on their age, their relation to us, and down to what side of the family you’re on. However, I think that the youngest of the family always earns a certain reputation and thus, receives a nickname from it. Being completely honest, when I was younger I was known to have smelly feet (I am fine now, I promise). So even though my mother might not remember, that could be the possible inspiration behind my nickname. As for my aunt, because she, too, is the youngest and was known to be silly and a trickster, she was named Gani.

Creative Insults

“Take a long walk down a short pier.”

“Go piss up a rope.”

This person grew up hearing his grandmother constantly say these insults to those who inconvenience her. From this, his whole family began to say these to others as well, and even he still says them to this day. Each time he says one, he immediately thinks of his grandmother and her Irish Catholic background. It also emphasizes that she has a strong connection to her Boston background because of the blunt style this language is often associated with.

While these insults can seem harsh, the relationship that this person, and his family, has to them show a strong familial connection and importance in his life. Like most folklore, these insults were passed down essentially as familial tradition as they had an obvious influence in shaping the communication style (insulting) that the family members gradually took up and will most likely continue to use, passing them on to others in their lives. Furthermore, folklore is often seen as having oral traditions, as much of it is told throughout history by word of mouth, being passed down generations and from community to community, just as these insults have done. Additionally, the insults the grandmother uses represents her cultural identity, likely coming from her upbringing and environment living in Boston and being an Irish Catholic. Through these verbal insults, she is able to share this identity and transmit these elements of herself to others, exhibiting common folklore themes of generational sharing, word of mouth, and cultural adaptations. Finally, when I was told about this piece of folklore in this person’s life, I too had heard these insults as I also grew up in Boston, and it brought back many memories that I have with my own friends and family surrounding these phrases!

Good Enough For Government Work

Occupation: Data Analysis
Residence: Salem, Virginia
Language: English

Text: “Good enough for government work” (folk speech/proverb)

Context:

G is my father, who was born and raised in Richmond, Virginia, who now lives in Salem, VA. His family owned a lot of farmland and they didn’t quite live in Richmond, but about 25 minutes outside of the city. It was pretty rural, definitely not suburban, but there were a few neighbors every once in awhile. He has many many pieces of folklore that he says, he has heard people say, and he has from books or movies, in my family he is pretty much known to have a proverb or saying for everything.

G- “I have done a job, be it raking leaves, or cutting grass, or painting a big round table, where I did the best job I could do but it could never be perfectly done and when I finished the job, I say ‘that’s good enough for government work’, meaning if it had been inspected by a government official, they would sign off on the work being done and complete.”

Interviewer – And where did you first learn of it, or if you don’t remember, have you heard anyone else ever use it?

G- “I learned it from my father, but I have heard many people use it.”

Analysis:

The phrase “Good enough for government work” is a colloquial expression often used to suggest that a task or job has been completed adequately but not necessarily perfectly. It implies a level of acceptable or sufficient performance, often in a somewhat tongue-in-cheek manner. When researching where it cane from, the origin of the saying is not precisely known, but it has become a common part of American English, particularly in informal settings. In my interpretation it is somewhat of a criticism or social commentary of the government and the checks that go into things It has evolved into a broader expression acknowledging that achieving perfection in certain situations may not be practical or necessary. It can be used humorously or pragmatically to convey a sense of meeting a standard without excessive attention to detail.

Bless Your Heart

Occupation: Data analysis
Residence: Salem, VA
Language: English

Text: “Bless your Heart” (folk speech/saying)

Context:

G is my father, who was born and raised in Richmond, Virginia, who now lives in Salem, VA. His family owned a lot of farmland and they didn’t quite live in Richmond, but about 25 minutes outside of the city. It was pretty rural, definitely not suburban, but there were a few neighbors every once in awhile. He has so many sayings and comebacks and jokes that I have heard my entire life I don’t even know where to begin on asking him about a piece of folklore, but when I asked this is the first one he came up with.

G- “Okay I’ve got one. In my experience, the old saying of ‘bless your heart’ is a kind way of saying to, or about, someone that you are a moron (chuckles)”

Interviewer- When have you experienced this piece of folklore before?”

G- “This is a saying that a good friend of my wife has used in conversations about a mutual acquaintance and her apparent ineptitude. It is used as a way to not openly criticize someone but everyone in the conversation understands the use of it. It is, as kids today would say, a polite way to ‘burn’ someone.”

Analysis:

“Bless your heart” is a versatile Southern American expression that can carry varying shades of meaning. It is commonly employed as a genuine expression of sympathy or good wishes, especially in response to someone sharing a challenge or difficulty. However, its interpretation can shift based on the tone and context. In a positive light, it conveys understanding and support. Yet, when accompanied by a certain tone, it may carry undertones of condescension or pity, subtly addressing someone’s perceived shortcomings. The phrase is known for its ability to navigate between sincerity and subtlety, making it a nuanced part of Southern folk speech. In my experience ‘bless your heart’ or ’bless her/his heart’ has been in a condescending manner in an almost passive aggressive way.