# 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:** 52
**Author:** ![Ann\_Hedonia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ann_hedonia/32/319_2.png) [@Ann\_Hedonia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ann_Hedonia)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2021, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jokes-that-nowadays-need-explaining/921466/1022 "2021-02-11T16:04:01Z")
Goddamned autocorrect, it does this to me all the time. I meant Hooterville, which is what I typed, and I didn’t notice that autocorrect really wanted me to say Hooverville. It tried again just now. ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2021, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jokes-that-nowadays-need-explaining/921466/1023 "2021-02-11T16:46:50Z")
> [@doreen](#): > > it’s been over 30 years since I got a postcard from a friend or relative. It’s been a similarly long time since I got a letter ( other than a Christmas letter) from a friend or relative. I have a couple of friends who prefer to write postcards or letters. I try to reciprocate in kind, though I’m better at email. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2021, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jokes-that-nowadays-need-explaining/921466/1024 "2021-02-11T16:52:09Z")
I regularly get postcards from the local oil change guys, the county courts, various other professionals and more importantly, any number of Dopers and Raffers. Drop into MPSIMS sometime and search for Post Card Exchange. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2021, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jokes-that-nowadays-need-explaining/921466/1025 "2021-02-11T18:31:17Z")
I used to , but now it is texts from dentists, oil changes, etc. ---
**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:** [February 11, 2021, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jokes-that-nowadays-need-explaining/921466/1026 "2021-02-11T18:33:09Z")
I have wondered about that similarity myself. At the time of the show the term “Hooverville” would have been more alive in people’s memories. I think it’s probably just coincidence, but I think I’ll give a spin around the internet and look for info. ---
**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:** [February 11, 2021, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jokes-that-nowadays-need-explaining/921466/1027 "2021-02-11T18:40:20Z")
Didn’t take long to find this from wiki: “The citizens of Hooterville are old-fashioned to the point of thinking that Calvin Coolidge is still President, although they later believe the President to be Coolidge’s successor, Herbert Hoover.” “The name Hooterville approximates Hooverville, a term used for the shantytowns that emerged during the Great Depression. But it also approximates Hooversville, Pennsylvania, a bucolic town on railroad tracks in western Pennsylvania. Also, characters on _Green Acres_ visit New York City on occasion and apparently return within a day’s time.” I never got the impression Hooterville could be in PA, even in the southwest Appalachia area it doesn’t conform well to the show. The Beverly Hillbillies clearly implied the Smoky Mountain region or the Ozarks as the region. Although the Clampett’s lived in the hills, Hooterville and Bugtussle were the nearby ‘big cities’. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2021, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jokes-that-nowadays-need-explaining/921466/1028 "2021-02-11T18:55:59Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > I never got the impression Hooterville could be in PA, even in the southwest Appalachia area it doesn’t conform well to the show. > **[Hooterville | Petticoat Junction](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hooterville#Petticoat_Junction)** > > Petticoat Junction (1963–1970) is based on the Burris Hotel, a real hotel that existed in Eldon, Missouri. Paul Henning, the producer and creator of the show, was married to the granddaughter of the owner of the hotel and often visited. The Burris hotel became the "Shady Rest Hotel" on Petticoat Junction. The Shady Rest is located 25 miles (40 km) down the tracks from "downtown" Hooterville, just inside the Hooterville county line. In one episode, it is revealed that the Shady Rest was built r Endless discussions and thoughts on where it is. ---
**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:** [February 11, 2021, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jokes-that-nowadays-need-explaining/921466/1029 "2021-02-11T19:08:09Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > I regularly get postcards from the local oil change guys, the county courts, various other professionals and more importantly, any number of Dopers and Raffers. Drop into MPSIMS sometime and search for Post Card Exchange. I get postcards all the time from insurance companies such as Geico and Progressive, even though I no longer have a car. ---
**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:** [February 11, 2021, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jokes-that-nowadays-need-explaining/921466/1030 "2021-02-11T19:14:36Z")
Do people still send vacation postcards? You know, the ‘Wish you were here’ kind. ---
**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:** [February 11, 2021, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jokes-that-nowadays-need-explaining/921466/1031 "2021-02-11T20:10:13Z")
I’ve always thought “Hooterville” was a backdoor (so to speak) advertisement for the Shady Rest Brothel. ---
**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:** [February 11, 2021, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jokes-that-nowadays-need-explaining/921466/1032 "2021-02-11T20:11:29Z")
It’s been so long since I’ve had a vacation, I’ve forgotten. 🤔 ---
**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:** [February 13, 2021, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jokes-that-nowadays-need-explaining/921466/1033 "2021-02-13T20:42:54Z")
I just saw an old episode of ER from 1995, and one of the jokes is technologically obsolete. Two young doctors in training are presenting cases to their seniors. John Carter, the slightly more experienced one puts up an xray on light screen and stumbles through his presentation - and then the other one (Deb Chen) hands out a bound pamphlet (20 pages or so) to each of person attending, and projects her presentation driven from a laptop, and including a rotating 3d rendering of a skull. Obviously she’s gone above and beyond, but to do that kind of thing in 1995 would have been way beyond something that an ordinary person could do in a few days. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2021, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jokes-that-nowadays-need-explaining/921466/1034 "2021-02-13T22:11:46Z")
The jokes I enjoy now are different than the ones I heard when I was twelve. A bunch of them involved Helen Keller. I’ve no idea if young people know who she is. ---
**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:** [February 13, 2021, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jokes-that-nowadays-need-explaining/921466/1035 "2021-02-13T23:55:11Z")
Helen Keller, Ed Gein, Christine Jorgensen, Liberace… The list is pretty long. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2021, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jokes-that-nowadays-need-explaining/921466/1036 "2021-02-14T03:33:12Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > > [@TriPolar](#): > > > > I never got the impression Hooterville could be in PA, even in the southwest Appalachia area it doesn’t conform well to the show. > > [Hooterville - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hooterville#Petticoat_Junction) > > Endless discussions and thoughts on where it is. It’s down the road a piece from Pixley (which you can find in California’s Central Valley, IINM\*) \*If I’m Not Mistaken ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2021, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jokes-that-nowadays-need-explaining/921466/1037 "2021-02-14T04:03:53Z")
> [@Dr\_Paprika](#): > > The jokes I enjoy now are different than the ones I heard when I was twelve. A bunch of them involved Helen Keller. I’ve no idea if young people know who she is. Oh, they’ve heard of her. > **[Disturbing Story of Teens Who Think Helen Keller Was a Fraud | The Mary Sue](https://www.themarysue.com/teens-think-helen-keller-was-a-fraud/)** > > A disturbing Twitter thread went viral, with a man explaining that his teenage niece and nephew think that Helen Keller was a fraud. ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2021, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jokes-that-nowadays-need-explaining/921466/1038 "2021-02-14T04:05:19Z")
What the actual fuck? I’m giving up on humanity. ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2021, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jokes-that-nowadays-need-explaining/921466/1040 "2021-02-14T18:59:09Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > Do people still send vacation postcards? You know, the ‘Wish you were here’ kind. Back when I got divorced, my uncle wanted me to visit Alcatraz and send my ex a postcard from there. Visiting Alcatraz . . . ---
**Author:** ![mbh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2021, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jokes-that-nowadays-need-explaining/921466/1041 "2021-02-14T19:40:21Z")
On Grand Cayman Island, there is a rock formation called [Hell](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hell,_Grand_Cayman). It has a gift shop that sells postcards, and its own post office. The postmark reads, “Hell, BWI” (BWI for British West Indies). I sent my co-workers a postcard from Hell. ---
**Author:** ![jaycat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jaycat/32/3015_2.png) [@jaycat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jaycat)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2021, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jokes-that-nowadays-need-explaining/921466/1042 "2021-02-14T22:45:27Z")
My brother’s car broke down in Hell, Michigan, so we were stuck there for a couple of hours. He was driving a Sprite, so we weren’t completely surprised (that it died on us). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jokes-that-nowadays-need-explaining/921466.md?page=51) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jokes-that-nowadays-need-explaining/921466.md?page=53)