Ship of Fools: George Bush goes to Hell

Thread: George Bush goes to Hell Board: The Laugh Judgment / Ship of Fools.

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Posted by Simon (# 1) on :

Joke submitted by simon bucher-jones:

George Bush dies and goes to Hell. Jesus is harrowing Hell, however, and the Devil has to let a repentant soul out to let George in, and George is allowed to choose whom he will replace.

The Devil shows him a room where Nixon is impaled on a giant spike, and another where Hitler is tormented by devils, and a third where Bill Clinton writhes on a rack being orally attended to by Monica.

George considers: spike, devils, oral sex... hmm. He chooses the third room.

The Devil smiles. "Okay, Monica, you can go."

[ 15. July 2005, 09:15: Message edited by: Simon ]

Posted by Wesley J (# 6075) on :

Same problem as a few other jokes here: seems more about sexuality and related taboos plus US political opponents, than religious, or Christian values.

Offensive for that reason, because thoughtless and not inspiring. Not good and original enough. Thumbs down.

Posted by Newman's Own (# 420) on :

I did not find this one funny - and wonder if I'm the only one who did not really understand the points. (Obviously, I know he was not going to get his sex... but that might have been contrary to his 'family values' anyway.)

Posted by Wesley J (# 6075) on :

Well, Ms Monica can go, it seems, according to Mr Devil. So where might Mr Bush be heading? [Disappointed]

Posted by jlg (# 98) on :

Dubya is gonna being sucking Bill's cock for all eternity, Newman's Own. Nobody's actually getting any sex.

This is the first '5' I've awarded for humor -- but I'll admit my personal politics probably upped it a notch.

Yeah, like nearly all jokes, the basic concept is adaptable to multiple people and scenarios, so it isn't strictly a religious joke, but so what?

Posted by Newman's Own (# 420) on :

quote:
Originally posted by jlg:
Dubya is gonna being sucking Bill's cock for all eternity, Newman's Own. Nobody's actually getting any sex.

I'm so stupid, jlg!

I'd have sent Bush in to perform the same service for Hitler... he got off easy with Clinton...

Posted by ACOL-ite (# 4991) on :

I found this one funnier when I first heard it, but there was a lot more scene-painting then. This exercise is making me believe more and more in the importance of scene painting, imagery, etc., in good jokes: "clever" punchlines are rarely clever enough.

Posted by Pob (# 8009) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Wesley J:
Offensive for that reason, because thoughtless and not inspiring.

I'd disagree with you here, Wesley.

The joke's set up so that Monica is almost a non-person; she's just a prop, a walk-on part in Clinton's story (much as she was portrayed in the media in real life).

Only then it's turned round so that we see Monica as an equal to the others. It's she, not Bill, who's sufficiently repentant to be set free. Rather than her being the single-track-minded slapper of popular mythology, we see that her having to suck Clinton's dick for all eternity is a punishment. And of course part of the joke is that George makes the mistake he does because it doesn't occur to him that this story is about anyone but the powerful.

I didn't get a belly-laugh from this, more a nose-laugh (you know, when you smile and a little 'hfff-fff' sound comes out of your nose?), but I appreciated it partly because of the way it inverts expectations.

[ETA - ACOL-lite, I think you're right, the joke could have been set up better]

[ 13. July 2005, 19:27: Message edited by: Pob ]

Posted by Mousethief (# 953) on :

A variation on a very old theme -- not offensive but not terribly hilarious either -- but I don't understand how it's a religious joke??

Posted by Zeke (# 3271) on :

I was interested in this one because its title made me think it was a nasty joke about Bush(whom I dislike), and it ended up being more a dig at Clinton and his problems with keeping his pants zipped up. Still, it got at them both, which made it rather democratic. It was in very poor taste, but I've heard several variations on this same story(as Mousethief mentioned), so it didn't have the shock value to make it offensive to me personally.

Posted by starbelly (# 25) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Mousethief:
but I don't understand how it's a religious joke??

Because it is set in heaven.

Posted by Lurker McLurker™ (# 1384) on :

I don't see it as a real religious joke either, just one that happens to take Hell as a setting, rather than primarily being about any aspect of religion.

Posted by starbelly (# 25) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Lurker McLurker™:
...just one that happens to take Hell as a setting...

Ah yes, Hell, that's what I meant, I always get those two confused.

Posted by The Coot (# 220) on :

quote:
Originally posted by jlg:
Dubya is gonna being sucking Bill's cock for all eternity, Newman's Own. Nobody's actually getting any sex.

This is the first '5' I've awarded for humor -- but I'll admit my personal politics probably upped it a notch.

Yeah, like nearly all jokes, the basic concept is adaptable to multiple people and scenarios, so it isn't strictly a religious joke, but so what?

d'0h! I must be an innocent at heart. I thought the joke was that Monica was repentant while Clinton was not. And was thinking, oh yer, maybe you have to be American to really appreciate this joke.

But reading jen's post I see the repentance aspect is quite secondary... the supposed humour comes from Bush having to suck off Clinton for eternity. Maybe ppl who don't get US politics will still find it funny because he doesn't get what he thinks he's going to get. [Roll Eyes]

You prolly still need to be American to appreciate it.

Posted by Sir Kevin (# 3492) on :

It's disgusting and repulsive all the way around. I am not a big fan of any of the protagonists, though I like Hitler and Nixon least. Again, Bush made another wrong decision; I'd've gone for spike myself: it'd keep my mind off the heat, but then I have a high threshold for pain.

Nobody asked what old Monica had to do. What's her next move - Purgatory? Would she have to go to endless boring meetings and take shorthand at 300 wpm? One wonders.

Posted by Newman's Own (# 420) on :

As I previously made all too plain, I did not understand this joke. Somehow, I pictured that Bush was looking forward to the sex, and that the woman administering same left just as soon as he made his choice of option.

[Hot and Hormonal]

Though I appreciated the explanation, I still don't get what is so hilarious about Bush's having to perform oral sex on Clinton. Bush's 'family values' business, which was discussed on the Ship a few months back, made me wonder if his wanting Monica to perform oral sex on him was pointing to hypocrisy. (After all, this is the man who is 'pro life' and threatens nations with atomic bombs and sent people to their executions in Texas.) I'm revealing my own stupidity only to show that I cannot be alone in being confused by the joke.

As well, though I naturally know about Bill and Monica's affair, that hardly seems to me to be matter for being sent to hell... where the others could be there for some very pressing reasons.

Posted by Ann (# 94) on :

I thought the point of the joke was that Bush assumed that it was Clinton being punished, but it was Monica's punishment and she's the one who got let off. With the twist that Bush had to take her place.

I've heard several jokes about heaven or hell where either the punishment chosen has a twist making it by far the worst of the choices or where one person's reward is twisted to the other person's punishment.

It's a type joke where you can put in the details to fit the time, but the core of the joke is the same.

Posted by The Coot (# 220) on :

Oh wow, how amazing. As we unpack this joke, new layers of meaning are revealed lol.

I did think it was a bit strange that Clinton was getting a headjob as punishment... but I dismissed this with the explanation there must be some 'reliving the embarrassment' element and that no matter how good the sex, it can't offset the awfulness of the location.

Obviously it was too sophisticated for me.

As Wesley J. mentioned earlier one of the things it turns on is the sexuality element: with a subtle anti-gay flavour. Like the worst thing a bloke could have to do is give another bloke a headjob. I don't see why that should be particularly alarming (so obviously that was one less signpost to the nature of the joke for me).

Unimpressive.

[In view of the subtle homophobia, I wish I'd given it a higher offensiveness rating now [Disappointed]

]

[ 14. July 2005, 21:08: Message edited by: The Coot ]

Posted by themanwiththegingerhair (# 9691) on :

Part of the problem with analysing jokes is that essentially they are very shallow and not meant to be scrutinised. The analysis brings out meaning that wasn't there in the first place.

I don't think it is homophobic to suggest that Bush will be repulsed by the idea of giving Clinton a blow job. The joke plays on the idea of Monica being the punished rather than the punisher.

The build up is worded that way in the subject/object ordering:

Nixon is impaled on a giant spike
Hitler is tormented by devils
Clinton is...orally attended to by Monica

If you are in hell (and theologically are no longer married) and you have to chose three punishments then the one that doesn't involve pain is going to be the one.

The joke is the fact that the object is in fact the subject in the final line. Nothing more, nothing less.

Like many of the religious jokes though, it provides a backdrop and nothing more.

[ 17. July 2005, 08:57: Message edited by: themanwiththegingerhair ]

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