Old and New Jokes

HOW TO ADDRESS A NON SEXIST BUSINESS LETTER
By Andrew Berman

Let us look at the standard opening phrase of a standard business letter:

Dear Sir,

Well, this is clearly sexist as it precludes the possibility that a
woman is reading the letter. We can try to fix this, however, by
writing:

Dear Sir/Madam,

This was suggested in a recent posting in a few of the gender-issue
related news groups. However, someone pointed out that by putting the
masculine title before the feminine one, unacceptable dominance was
demonstrated, making this non-PC. So, I tried to fix it:

Dear Madam/Sir,

Well, this is no good since were showing dominance in the other
direction. Of course, since Men are Oppressors and Womyn are
Oppressees, that may not be so bad. But its not really PC, is it?
Ok, lets try again:

Dear Sir
Madam,

Well, that solves the problem of who goes first. Of course, the Sir
is on top now, which is completely unacceptable. Missionary style
het-sexist imagery abounds. Very bad news, probably worse than the
original. Ok, what about:

Dear Madam
Sir,

Well, I was once told that men laying on their back during sex was
sexist as they were making women do all the work. Besides, you still
have one on top of the other showing dominance. We may not sure whos
doing what, but somebody is being oppressed here. Next:

Dear MadSiram,

Put the Sir inside the Madam, ok, neither is going first and neither
is above the other one. Ok? NO! This is terrible! The Sir has
inserted himself inside the Madam! Practically splitting her in two
with himself! How pornographic!! A man writing a letter addressed like
this to a woman is obviously making an (unwanted) sexual advance. If
he were at Antioch college, hed be suspended for a year and have to
go through rehabilitation. Catherine MacKinnon would have a fit!

Dear SMadamir,

Now we put the Madam inside the Sir. Oh, now the Sir has enveloped
the Madam! Horrors, she has lost her identity, her sense of self!
This is imprisonment! Ugh, how could I have even thought of this
one?? Im so ashamed!

Well, theres only one answer left:

To Whom it May Concern

There. Simple, no reference to sex or sexuality, no problems. Not
very friendly, but then again unwanted intimacy is a sin. And getting
rid of friendliness is a small price to pay to make sure that
absolutely no-one is ever, ever offended.

An elderly couple are both lying in bed one morning, having just awakened from a good nights sleep. He takes her hand and she responds, Dont touch me.

Why not, he asks.

She answers back, Because Im dead.

The husband says to her, What are you talking about? Were both lying here in bed together and talking to one another.

The wife says, No, Im definitely dead.

Her husband insists, Youre not dead. What in the world makes you think youre dead?

His wife answers, I know Im dead, because I woke up this morning and nothing hurts.

Youre breaths so stinky I dont know whether I should give you a breath mint or toilepaper!

A very flat-chested woman finally decided she needed a bra and set out to the mall in search of one in her size. She entered an upscale department store and approached the saleslady in lingerie, Do you have a size 28AAAA bra?



The clerk haughtily replied in the negative, so she left the store and proceeded to another department store where she is rebuffed in much the same manner. After a third try at another department store in the mall, she had become disgusted. Leaving the mall, she drove to K-Mart.



Marching up to the sales clerk, she unbuttoned and threw open her blouse, yelling, Do you have anything for this?



The lady looked closely at her and replied, Have you tried Clearasil?

Un marciano aterriza en África y utilizando su traductor ultracomputarizado le pregunta al primer animal que ve:

Animalito, ¿Cómo te llamas?

Yo me llamo cebra tigre, porque mi papá fue una cebra y mi mamá un tigre.

Se acerca a otro animal y le pregunta:

Animalito, ¿Cómo te llamas?

Yo me llamo ardilla voladora, porque mi papá fue un ave y mi mamá una ardilla.

Y así va el marcianito, preguntándole a muchos animales, hasta que se topa con uno extraño y le pregunta:

Animalito, ¿Cómo te llamas?

Yo me llamo oso hormiguero

¡Uy sí, no me digas!

An old Jewish couple was sitting around one evening and he says to his wife, Sarah, we are about to celebrate our 50th wedding anniversary, so tell me, have you ever been unfaithful to me?



She hesitated a while and said, Yes, 3 times.

Three times!? how did it happen? he asks.



Well, do you remember right after we were married and we were broke and the bank was going to foreclose on our little house?

Yes, that was really a terrible time.



Okay, well do you remember when I went to see the banker and the next day he extended our loan?

It is hard to believe, he said, but I guess it really was for us and I can forgive you.



She continued, And do you remember years later when you almost died from the heart problem because we couldnt afford the operation?

Of course I remember.



Well, then you also remember that right after I went to see the doctor he did your operation at no cost?

Yes, he said, that shocks me too but I understand you did it because of your love for me and I forgive you.



But tell me, what was the third time?



She responded, Do you remember when you ran for Temple president…

and needed 23 more votes?

Concerning bagpipes: The Irish invented them and gave them to the Scots
as a joke, and the Scots havent seen the joke yet.

A: Third grade.

Reaching the end of a job interview, the Human Resources Person asked the young MBA fresh out of MIT, And what starting salary were you looking for?

The candidate responded, In the neighborhood of $125,000 a year, depending on the benefits package.

The HR person said, Well, what would you say to a package of 5-weeks vacation, 14 paid holidays, full medical and dental, company matching retirement fund to 50% salary, and a company car leased every two years – say a red Corvette?

The graduate sat up mouth agape and said, Wow! Are you kidding?

And the HR person responded, Certainly … but you started it!

An Irishman went for an interview with one of the major blue chip computer companies.

When the interview was over the interviewer told him that all applicants had to complete a test. The interviewer took a piece of paper and drew six vertical lines in pairs of two on the paper and placed it in front of the Irishman.

Could you please show me a clever way to make this into nine?

After thinking for a while the Irishman took the pencil and drew a canopy of leaves on top of the three pairs of lines, and handed the paper back to the interviewer.

The interviewer looked at the drawings and said: But that is not nine!

Oh yes it is, said the Irishman with a broad Irish accent, Tree + Tree + Tree make nine!

The interviewer handed the paper back to the Irishman and asked him to make it 99.

After thinking for a longer while the Irishman scribbled up and down the trunks and handed the paper back to the interviewer.

The interviewer looked at the drawings and said: But that is not ninety nine!

Oh yes it is, said the Irishman, Dirty tree + dirty tree + dirty tree make ninety nine.

The interviewer was now a bit cheesed off so he decided to do the Irishman once and for all, therefore, he handed the paper back to the Irishman and asked him to make it 100.

After thinking for a considerably longer time the Irishman suddenly grabbed the pencil and drew a little blop (hundelort) on the bottom right hand side of each three and handed the paper back to the interviewer.

The interviewer looked at the drawings and said: But that is not 100!

Oh yes it most certainly is, said the Irishman with a much broader Irish accent, Dirty tree and a turd + dirty tree and turd + dirty tree and a turd make 100!!!