Ancient gags show nothing's changed

news ^ | November 14, 2008

[JoeProBono]

A DIRECT ancestor of Monty Python's renowned "Dead Parrot" sketch has been found in a book of jokes dating back to Greece in the fourth century AD. A new English translation of Philogelos: The Laugh Addict contains a joke in which a man complains that a slave he has just bought has died.

"By the gods," answers the slave's seller, "when he was with me, he never did any such thing."

In the Python sketch, written 16 centuries later, the shopkeeper claims the parrot, a "Norwegian Blue," is not dead, but just "pining for the fjords."

[JoeProBono]

"Other jokes in the book show that sex, nagging wives and passing wind have formed the basis of humour for centuries.

One example is: "A misogynist is attending to the burial of his wife, who has just died. When someone asks, 'Who is it who rests in peace here?', he answers, 'Me, now that I'm rid of her!'."

[ClearCase_guy]

A good indication that Human Nature is immutable. We are who we are, and political philosophies based on the supposed perfectability of man are not going to be successful.

[JoeProBono]

[To Hell With Poverty]

LOLping!

[svcw]

My two favorite Python skits are the parrot and cheese shop.
People are people and some stuff is just plain funny no matter the century.

[mass55th]

Dole Office Clerk: Occupation?

Comicus: Stand-up philosopher.

Dole Office Clerk: What?

Comicus: Stand-up philosopher. I coalesce the vapors of human existence into a viable and meaningful comprehension.

Dole Office Clerk: Oh, a *bull$hit* artist!

Comicus: Hmmmmmm...

Dole Office Clerk: Did you bull$hit last week?

Comicus: No.

Dole Office Clerk: Did you try to bull$hit last week?

Comicus: Yes!

[JoeProBono]

[JoeProBono]

Deserves a caption

[Daffynition]

Behind all the pomp and circumstance .... they really don't know when to quit...

[CrazyIvan]

Also found: ancient goatskin whoopee cushion.

[JoeProBono]

[Gitche Gumee]

Why? Why not.

[Minnehaha]

[JoeProBono]

[stylecouncilor]

ping

[JoeProBono]

[SunkenCiv]

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	Gods Graves Glyphs	Thanks To Hell With Poverty. National Lampoon's "True Facts" reproduced some humor of the ancients, which must have been toga-side-splitting in its time. To all -- please ping me to other topics which are appropriate for the GGG list. GGG managers are SunkenCiv, StayAt HomeMother, and Ernest_at_the_Beach
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[null and void]

I don’t get it...

[Moonman62]

One example is: "A misogynist is attending to the burial of his wife, who has just died. When someone asks, 'Who is it who rests in peace here?', he answers, 'Me, now that I'm rid of her!'."

Why would that make him a misogynist?

[JoeProBono]