# 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:** 29
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2020, 11:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jokes-that-nowadays-need-explaining/921466/562 "2020-10-28T11:48:27Z")
> [@rowrrbazzle](#): > > If that was the way they learned it, why was the “reveal” necessary? This is pretty relevant, as nowadays Lehrer’s joke apparently needs explaining. In “New Math,” he sings as quickly as possible to explain a math problem in a deliberately obfuscatory way, in order to make fun of New Math. But if you watch a video of the problem, all he’s doing (for base 10, anyway) is the borrowing method, the one that GenXers all grew up with. The “reveal” is because they sympathize with the singer about how confusing newfangled things are without listening closely enough to realize how traditional they are. > [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > The fact that we’re learning new ways to explain concepts to children, and we haven’t stopped trying to improve, is a feature, not a bug, of educational policy. New Math didn’t improve understanding and it decimated basic arithmetic skills. And “trying to improve” is not necessarily the same as actually improving. To avoid further discussion of this subject in this thread, here’s the discussion from 4 years ago. [Explain this ‘new math’](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-this-new-math/729132) [/quote] I’ve participated in umpty-ump threads over the years correcting misconceptions about Common Core. I read that whole thread you linked to. You had one post in it making the same uncited claim you make above. Somehow I missed that thread when it happened; but in my many years in the classroom, I’ve yet to see any evidence to support your assertion about a negative cause-and-effect relationship between New Math (or Common Core) and basic arithmetic skills. If you’d like to start a new thread where you defend that assertion, I’m so there 🙂. ---
**Author:** ![furryman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/furryman/32/99_2.png) [@furryman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/furryman)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2020, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jokes-that-nowadays-need-explaining/921466/563 "2020-10-28T17:56:20Z")
I still have a bumper sticker (remember when they were popular) that says “186,000 miles per second, it’s not just a rule, it’s a law.” ---
**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 28, 2020, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jokes-that-nowadays-need-explaining/921466/564 "2020-10-28T18:25:17Z")
Yeah, you’d have to explain that to people who weren’t around when the speed of light light was slower to conserve energy. ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2020, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jokes-that-nowadays-need-explaining/921466/565 "2020-10-28T19:07:18Z")
As opposed to the heavy light that’s currently in fashion. ---
**Author:** ![mbh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2020, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jokes-that-nowadays-need-explaining/921466/566 "2020-10-28T19:39:28Z")
What’s the speed of light darkness? ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2020, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jokes-that-nowadays-need-explaining/921466/567 "2020-10-28T23:20:03Z")
For the record, I’m a pretty adventurous eater. I once tried anchovy pizza, just because I never had before. Usually, when I try “outrageous” things I’ve never had before, I end up liking them, or at least finding them decent. I couldn’t finish more than one bite of that pizza, because it tasted terrible. ---
**Author:** ![Melbourne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Melbourne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melbourne)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2020, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jokes-that-nowadays-need-explaining/921466/568 "2020-10-28T23:24:47Z")
> [@furryman](#): > > was watching an episode of the Simpsons the other day when they made a reference to an obscure1970’s TV series _The Roman Holidays_ Early episodes of The Simpsons are full of 70’s references, so that doesn’t surprise me. But are you sure they meant the obscure 70’s TV series and not the well known 1950’s Audrey Hepburn /Gregory Peck movie? ---
**Author:** ![Melbourne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Melbourne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melbourne)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2020, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jokes-that-nowadays-need-explaining/921466/569 "2020-10-28T23:27:32Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > I couldn’t finish more than one bite of that pizza, because it tasted terrible. This is another of the attractions of a pineapple/anchovy pizza. In a share house, chances are some of the people you offer to share with either don’t like pineapple, or don’t like anchovies. ---
**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 28, 2020, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jokes-that-nowadays-need-explaining/921466/570 "2020-10-28T23:28:43Z")
> [@Melbourne](#): > > > [@furryman](#): > > > > was watching an episode of the Simpsons the other day when they made a reference to an obscure1970’s TV series _The Roman Holidays_ > > Early episodes of The Simpsons are full of 70’s references, so that doesn’t surprise me. But are you sure they meant the obscure 70’s TV series and not the well known 1950’s Audrey Hepburn /Gregory Peck movie? No, the characters actually sang the theme to the 70s program [The Roman Holidays theme - Wikisimpsons, the Simpsons Wiki](https://simpsonswiki.com/wiki/The_Roman_Holidays_theme) (which went over my head, btw). ---
**Author:** ![NDP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ndp/32/55_2.png) [@NDP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NDP)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2020, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jokes-that-nowadays-need-explaining/921466/571 "2020-10-29T00:47:44Z")
My view it’s mainly about Marge and her lack of knowledge of spices and seasonings. In the episode where Lisa became a vegetarian there was a similar joke where she said her lamb chops were seasoned by a special ingredient called “salt”. ---
**Author:** ![NDP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ndp/32/55_2.png) [@NDP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NDP)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2020, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jokes-that-nowadays-need-explaining/921466/572 "2020-10-29T00:58:01Z")
[quote=“Melbourne, post:568, topic:921466”] > [@furryman](#): > > > was watching an episode of the Simpsons the other day when they made a reference to an obscure1970’s TV series _The Roman Holidays_ > > [/quote] > > > > Early episodes of The Simpsons are full of 70’s references, so that doesn’t surprise me. But are you sure they meant the obscure 70’s TV series and not the well known 1950’s Audrey Hepburn /Gregory Peck movie? No, the characters actually sang the theme to the 70s program [https://simpsonswiki.com/wiki/The\_Roman\_Holidays\_theme](https://simpsonswiki.com/wiki/The_Roman_Holidays_theme) (which went over my head, btw). In terms of cartoon references, that’s definitely a deep cut. _The Roman Holidays_ only ran one season in 1972-73 and was rarely seen in reruns. (Maybe there’s something about Ancient Rome that doesn’t make it the best setting for a kid-friendly animated sitcom.) ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2020, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jokes-that-nowadays-need-explaining/921466/573 "2020-10-29T19:59:11Z")
I saw a Simpsons post today, pointing out one of the original satirical premises of the Simpsons: in the Reagan era, a single-income six-member family whose sole breadwinner was a high school grad could barely hold on to a middle-class lifestyle. Try explaining that satire to kids these days… ---
**Author:** ![furryman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/furryman/32/99_2.png) [@furryman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/furryman)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2020, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jokes-that-nowadays-need-explaining/921466/574 "2020-10-29T20:09:16Z")
This post will be automatically deleted in 10 million years. ---
**Author:** ![Asuka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@Asuka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asuka)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2020, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jokes-that-nowadays-need-explaining/921466/575 "2020-10-29T21:57:32Z")
I don’t think that was intentionanal at all, Homer was already a worker at a nuclear power plant and it’s established he makes enough money to sustain their life style just fine. It was only after the first season you start getting the jokes he was making minimum wage at the SNPP. Also the episode where he actually becomes safety inspector in the first season it’s established that Mr Burns “pays him off” by giving him a huge pay raise so he doesn’t blab about the power plants awful safety record. There’s also a throw away line in first season where Ned and Homer both make about the same money, and Ned was originally working as a white collar pharmacy rep for a major firm. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2020, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jokes-that-nowadays-need-explaining/921466/576 "2020-10-29T22:43:47Z")
The animation was really, really bad. ---
**Author:** ![Asuka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@Asuka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asuka)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2020, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jokes-that-nowadays-need-explaining/921466/577 "2020-10-30T00:08:41Z")
Curious so I looked it up, the average salary in 2019 for a sales representative in the pharmaceutical industry is $100,000 plus bonuses of up to $40,000 a year. The average salary of a nuclear power plant worker in 2019 ranges from $64,000 to $100,000. So assuming Ned donates all his bonus to charity or doesn’t partake in them, and Homer is on the higher end of the salary range due to being a safety inspector, Homers comment on him having near the same salary of makes sense. Of course we know now that Homer doesn’t have a college degree, but I don’t think that was established in season 1. ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2020, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jokes-that-nowadays-need-explaining/921466/578 "2020-10-31T00:17:16Z")
> The first time Bugs Bunny said “What’s up, Doc?”, it absolutely brought the house down. It was in response to a hunter (probably Elmer Fudd) pointing a gun at him, and instead of doing what a real-life rabbit would probably do, Bugs is just so sly with him. “What’s up,Doc?” was actually the punchline to a Joe E. Brown routine. He was doing stand-up on stage at a big opera house (This was in a movie, I think it was **Wide Open Faces** ) and he stops, grimaces, and clutches his chest. He calls out “Is there a doctor in the house?” A serious-looking gentleman stands up and says “Yes, I’m a doctor!” And Brown smiles and replies “What’s up, Doc?” ---
**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 31, 2020, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jokes-that-nowadays-need-explaining/921466/579 "2020-10-31T02:50:31Z")
> [@ekedolphin](#): > > The first time Bugs Bunny said “What’s up, Doc?”, it absolutely brought the house down. It was in response to a hunter (probably Elmer Fudd) pointing a gun at him, and instead of doing what a real-life rabbit would probably do, Bugs is just _so_ sly with him. It was definitely Elmer Fudd in 1940’s _A Wild Hare_, directed by Tex Avery. ---
**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 31, 2020, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jokes-that-nowadays-need-explaining/921466/580 "2020-10-31T03:21:49Z")
Treehouse of Horror VII: The Thing and I > [@Dr. Hibbert](#): > > We’ve got to find Hugo. > [@Homer](#): > > We’ll search out every place a sick solitary misfit might run to. > [@Lisa](#): > > I’ll start with Radio Shack. ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2020, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jokes-that-nowadays-need-explaining/921466/581 "2020-11-01T02:28:01Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > Not too long ago, my daughter (born in 1995) heard Soupy Sales mentioned on TV and just laughed. Soupy Sales had his name legally changed to Soupy Sales in my town, and one of my classmates was a real celebrity for a few days because his dad (Chief of Police) let him go the the hearing (or whatever the word for that procedure is). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jokes-that-nowadays-need-explaining/921466.md?page=28) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jokes-that-nowadays-need-explaining/921466.md?page=30)