Dead baby jokes are a

joke cycle A joke is a display of humour in which words are used within a specific and well-defined narrative structure to make people laugh and is usually not meant to be interpreted literally. It usually takes the form of a story, often with dialogue, ...

reflecting

dark comedy Black comedy, also known as dark comedy, morbid humor, or gallows humor, is a style of comedy that makes light of subject matter that is generally considered taboo, particularly subjects that are normally considered serious or painful to discus ...

. The joke is presented in

riddle A riddle is a statement, question or phrase having a double or veiled meaning, put forth as a puzzle to be solved. Riddles are of two types: ''enigmas'', which are problems generally expressed in metaphorical or allegorical language that requir ...

form, beginning with a what question and concluded with a grotesque

punch line A punch line (a. k. a. punch-line or punchline) concludes a joke; it is intended to make people laugh. It is the third and final part of the typical joke structure. It follows the introductory framing of the joke and the narrative which sets up ...

answer.

History

According to the folklorist scholar Alan Dundes, the dead baby joke cycle likely began in the early 1960s. Dundes theorizes that the origin of the dead baby joke lies in the rise of

second-wave feminism Second-wave feminism was a period of feminist activity that began in the early 1960s and lasted roughly two decades. It took place throughout the Western world, and aimed to increase equality for women by building on previous feminist gains. Wh ...

in the U.S. during that decade and its rejection of the traditional societal role for women, which included support for legalized

abortion Abortion is the termination of a pregnancy by removal or expulsion of an embryo or fetus. An abortion that occurs without intervention is known as a miscarriage or "spontaneous abortion"; these occur in approximately 30% to 40% of pregn ...

and

contraceptives Birth control, also known as contraception, anticonception, and fertility control, is the use of methods or devices to prevent unwanted pregnancy. Birth control has been used since ancient times, but effective and safe methods of birth contr ...

. It has also been suggested that the jokes emerged in response to images of graphic violence, often involving infants, from the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...

Examples

What's the difference between a truckload of dead babies and a truckload of bowling balls?
''With bowling balls you can't use pitchforks''. What's more fun than nailing a baby to a post?
''Ripping it off again''. What's bright blue, pink, and sizzles?
''A baby breastfeeding on an electrical outlet.'' How do you get 100 dead babies into a box?
''With a blender!'' How many babies does it take to paint a house?
''Depends on how hard you throw them.'' Why did the dead baby cross the road?
''Because it was stapled to the chicken.''

References

{{reflist Joke cycles Off-color humor American humor

History

Examples

See also

References