Tag Archives: #jokes

The stick that went up the camel’s ass – Joke

Nationality: Irish/German
Age: 19
Occupation: Business Undergraduate Student at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Residence: Champaign Apartments in Champaign, IL
Language: English

Text:

The stick that went up the camel’s ass

Context:

“One time me and best friend were talking about how shitty our week had been, and I specifically told her about how finding a hole in my sweater was my breaking point. I was like, ‘this is officially the camel’s back thing,’ and she was so confused but kind of understood what I meant. We were so stuck on what the exact saying was–it was on the tips of our tongue–so I think she was like, ‘wait isn’t there like a stick or something… the stick that something the camel…’ and to be funny she was like, ‘oh! The stick that went up the camel’s ass!’ It clicked with me then that the correct saying was, “the stick that broke the camel’s back,” but we genuinely died laughing at her version for a whole minute. It was so funny. So now, when something particularly frustrating happens, we’ll look at each other super seriously and say, ‘this is like the stick that went up the camel’s ass,’ and die laughing. It’s so stupid, and we always get weird stares, but it’s still funny every time.” 

Analysis:

This joke originates from the proverb “the stick that breaks the camel’s back.” This proverb is a metaphor for how something small (like a stick) can affect someone so much that it becomes their breaking point despite how strong (like a camel’s back) they seem in comparison. Where this phrase evolves is in how the “folk”– or these two best friends– recalled the saying. In injecting their own spin on the phrase, the saying became a new phrase in only their folk vocabulary, which they ritualistically use in times of hardship to ease tension. The exclusivity of this phrase is further emphasized as this person mentions they get weird stares from others when spoken as others are in the out-group when it comes to this folklore.

Michael This, Michael That

Nationality: American
Age: 19
Occupation: College Student
Residence: Morris Plains, NJ, USA
Language: English

Text:

Michael is a member of the Appalachia Outreach program that runs through the Catholic church. All members of the trip had chores to do because they had to pull their weight, but some people had different skills than others. One day, Michael was asked to do more than others. As he was walking away with another task, the leader was apologizing, and sarcastically he goes, “Michael this, Michael that, anything else I need to do,” and everyone laughed. For the rest of the trip, anytime someone was called more than once, they would say, “Michael this, Michael that”.

Analysis:

A large part of this trip was both tasks and community. The closer the community was, the more fun it was to do the task and the quicker and better they got done. The jokes shared commonly amongst this community create an environment that opens people’s minds to learning and acceptance. The purpose of the trip was to grow, and laughing, jokes, and community are the largest parts of that. 

It’s Not Rocket Science

Nationality: American
Age: 46
Occupation: Ares Management Partner
Residence: Cleveland, OH, USA
Language: English

Text:

This phrase “means it’s not complicated”. It’s used in sentences to reassure people or to tell people they’re being stupid in a nicer way. The tone is either calm or sarcastic, depending on the delivered intent. It was first heard from the informant’s father while explaining homework.

Analysis:

One of the hardest professions to have is a rocket scientist. The amount of schooling and intelligence required is considered unparalleled except possibly by neurosurgeons, where another variation of the phrase exists, “it’s not brain surgery”. The phrase is meant to convey that it is less than rocket science and, therefore, not that hard. It is used to soften or intensify a sentence, depending on the usage. Like most metaphors, it’s used to add flair to speech. 

Frog in a Blender

Nationality: American
Age: 52
Occupation: Clerical
Language: English

Joke: “What’s green and red and green and red and green and red?” Answer: “A frog in a blender”

“So back around middle school age, when children are most obnoxious, there was a series of jokes going around. The one I remember is ‘What’s green and red and green and red and green and red?” 

“ A frog in a blender” 

There was also other ones where I do not remember what the colors were, but it was the same format, you know, red and some other color. One of them was a dead baby in a blender, um, and some other things in a blender. But the frog’s the one I remember.

Analysis: An example of gross humor, this joke follows the format of a question that could be a riddle and searching for a sincere answer. It subverts that by the next line as the teller reveals the answer is a frog in a blender, and that the red is of its blood. Interestingly, this joke uses some common tools- namely repetition and the rule of threes- to make its point. In the script, the informant remembers three repetitions of “green and red”, both mimicking the bits of frog circling around a blender and creating more interest for the joke. Not only is it green and red, it repeats in a seemingly alternating pattern. The informant also recognizes that this would often be told in a series of similar jokes with varying punchlines, likely meant to trip the individual up on the first few repetitions but then quickly becoming formulaic. In this, it would likely lose its shock or humor to the individual. This may explain why, as the informant says, this joke ‘went around’ in a wave; people started hearing it, telling it, and stopped telling it among their age group as their peers already knew the answers.

Que Fresa!

Nationality: Mexican American
Age: 19
Language: Spanish, English

Context

PC is my roommate at USC. Her mother is Spanish and her father is Mexican. They both immigrated to the United States when they were young adults and work to incorporate both cultures in addition to American culture. She grew up in the suburbs of Miami and now lives in Dallas, Texas. 

Text

PC: Growing up in the suburbs my whole life I feel like I always walked the line between being Latina and being white washed. And since my mom is Spanish I was different than my cousins in Mexico too. So I would always go visit my family in Mexico and they would always say “Que fresa!” whenever I did something they considered more American or stuck up.

DO (Interviewer): I know that in English that translates to “what strawberry”, could you explain that a little bit more?

PC: Yeah so basically it’s like a term used to describe kids who were like richer Hispanic kids who have a certain personality. My family uses it as a joke but sometimes it’s used as an insult that basically means spoiled rich girls. 

DO: Interesting. I know that your parents are both Mexican and Spanish, is it more prevalent to use in one culture over another or is it used pretty commonly in both?

PC: I think I’ve heard it more used by my dad’s family. It might be just a common term for Hispanic people but I think it’s more of Mexican slang. It’s sort of like the equivalent to people’s ideas of a valley girl. So saying “like” a lot, mixing spanish and english, when things are said more like a question than a statement. Things like that. 

Analysis

This metaphor is commonly used in Mexican culture and serves as a separator of social status. This phrase is used by lower to middle-class individuals to poke fun at the wealthier class. Oftentimes in society, it is those of the wealthier class that may be making fun of those who don’t have the same social status, so through this term, we see the reversal of that. The direct translation may not make sense to someone, not in this culture so this phrase shows the complexity of lore not in our native languages and cultures. To outsiders looking in it may make no sense, but to those in this culture, it is a common term.