# Jokes that, nowadays, need explaining **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** comedian-jokes\ **Created:** [September 25, 2020, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jokes-that-nowadays-need-explaining/921466 "2020-09-25T02:53:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 21
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2020, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jokes-that-nowadays-need-explaining/921466/402 "2020-10-22T13:41:51Z")
I think so too, but not recognition of anything in particular. It just implies someone has a secret, or doesn’t know about one. Let’s pretend the show was actually about events in the 1950s, at that time Radar might have thought Hawkeye was talking about being a communist. ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2020, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jokes-that-nowadays-need-explaining/921466/403 "2020-10-22T13:45:49Z")
Yeah, that works too. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2020, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jokes-that-nowadays-need-explaining/921466/404 "2020-10-22T14:52:27Z")
FWIW, the same gag was used with one of the Germans in _ **’Allo, 'Allo** _ (the pilot episode, I think). It was clear there that homosexuality was implied. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2020, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jokes-that-nowadays-need-explaining/921466/405 "2020-10-22T15:55:42Z")
Oh, it was a standard WW2 joke. The way my dad, a WW2 veteran, told it back in the 50s (with his best Tough Guy voice), the hardened drill sergeant yells “Atten-SHUN! Count off by fours!” ONE! TWO! THREE! FOUR! ONE! TWO! THREE! FOUR! _one._ TWO! THREE! FOUR!.. “Wait, wait. STOP COUNTING! Who was that? Are you ‘One’?” _“Why, yesss… are you one too?”_ … eta: Because apparently, back then gays were hilarious, and all effeminate. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2020, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jokes-that-nowadays-need-explaining/921466/406 "2020-10-22T17:13:22Z")
Well if it really was about being gay I had no idea. And in that case I think it needs explanation. I think it works with anything a person might feel is a ‘guilty secret’ though. In the form **digs** provided there is the additional weak call out of ‘one’ which is supposed to indicate homosexuality that was part of the joke. ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2020, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jokes-that-nowadays-need-explaining/921466/407 "2020-10-22T17:37:42Z")
Here’s the clip [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/jowh6rlGhLo/hqdefault.jpg "Are you one?") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jowh6rlGhLo) - I think Hawkeye’s posture suggests that communism was not the issue. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2020, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jokes-that-nowadays-need-explaining/921466/408 "2020-10-22T18:12:44Z")
Yes, he’s making his meaning quite clear. But it’s not something you can tell just from wording. ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2020, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jokes-that-nowadays-need-explaining/921466/409 "2020-10-22T18:15:18Z")
Yep. That’s why I wasn’t sure until I checked the clip (and why your idea was plausible). ---
**Author:** ![Asuka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@Asuka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asuka)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2020, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jokes-that-nowadays-need-explaining/921466/410 "2020-10-23T01:23:25Z")
There’s a Full House episode from the early 90s where Uncle Joey buys a surprisingly good condition used car from a literal “Old lady who only drove it on Sundays to Church” only to find out the car was actually stolen after she takes his money and he stupidly didn’t get the registration for it because it was such a deal. ---
**Author:** ![Dogginit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dogginit/32/16920_2.png) [@Dogginit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dogginit)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2020, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jokes-that-nowadays-need-explaining/921466/411 "2020-10-23T01:44:35Z")
Would anyone get the Lorena Bobbitt jokes anymore? ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2020, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jokes-that-nowadays-need-explaining/921466/412 "2020-10-23T01:44:44Z")
> [@Asuka](#): > > There’s a Full House episode from the early 90s where Uncle Joey buys a surprisingly good condition used car from a literal “Old lady who only drove it on Sundays to Church” only to find out the car was actually stolen after she takes his money and he stupidly didn’t get the registration for it because it was such a deal. I remember the same plot being used with Barney Fife on _The Andy Griffith Show_. ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2020, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jokes-that-nowadays-need-explaining/921466/413 "2020-10-23T02:00:48Z")
This sounds more snarky than I intended. I mean to say that I agree with you completely that with just the wording it could be any secret, and I thank you for pointing that out. I probably unconsciously remembered the visual cues but I’m glad your comment led me to finding the clip so that you and others could see the context. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2020, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jokes-that-nowadays-need-explaining/921466/414 "2020-10-23T03:38:15Z")
Or Jeffrey Dahmer jokes? ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2020, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jokes-that-nowadays-need-explaining/921466/415 "2020-10-23T03:49:23Z")
Or combination Lorena Bobbit and Jeffrey Dahmer jokes! ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2020, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jokes-that-nowadays-need-explaining/921466/416 "2020-10-23T03:52:50Z")
What did Jeffrey Dahmer say to Lorena Bobbit? “Excuse me, you gonna eat that?” ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2020, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jokes-that-nowadays-need-explaining/921466/417 "2020-10-23T03:55:08Z")
Yeah, that’s the one I was thinking of. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2020, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jokes-that-nowadays-need-explaining/921466/418 "2020-10-23T04:01:47Z")
I Slacked that one to my ex-wife (Russian) a few months ago. She had to Google both of them before expressing her distaste. ---
**Author:** ![BippityBoppityBoo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bippityboppityboo/32/5745_2.png) [@BippityBoppityBoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BippityBoppityBoo)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2020, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jokes-that-nowadays-need-explaining/921466/419 "2020-10-23T04:22:25Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > expressing her distaste. I see what you did here. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2020, 6:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jokes-that-nowadays-need-explaining/921466/420 "2020-10-23T06:36:41Z")
😁 ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2020, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jokes-that-nowadays-need-explaining/921466/421 "2020-10-23T15:27:34Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > What did Jeffrey Dahmer say to Lorena Bobbit? > > “Excuse me, you gonna eat that?” What did they find at Jeffrey Dahmer’s autopsy? Jimmy Hoffa. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jokes-that-nowadays-need-explaining/921466.md?page=20) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jokes-that-nowadays-need-explaining/921466.md?page=22)