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.