Title: Divorce Joke (Christina Wulff)

General Information about the Item: 

• Verbal Lore, Joke
• Language: German
• Country of Origin: Germany
• Informant: Colin M.
• Date Collected:10-16-18

Informant Data:

• Colin M. is a 24-year-old financial analyst who was born and raised in the United States.Colin learned German in a German Immersion elementary and high school program and has practiced German on his travels in Europe.

Contextual Data: 

• Cultural Context: In Germany, divorce is now a more accepted occurrence than in previous generations. Like many cultures, divorce is often a source of content for jokes.
• Social Context: The informant first heard the joke told to him in a bar in Germany, by an older gentleman.

Associated File:

Transcript/Translation: 

• The English translation of the joke is as follows: What do women and hand grenades have in common?  When you pull the ring off, your house goes away.

Informants Comments:

• “I think this joke is sexist, but a bit representative of the culture in Germany, especially of an older generation.  The joke was told to me in a bar by an older man, and I am not sure if he would have been telling it to me if there were any women around to hear.”

Collector’s Comments: 

• I agree that the joke is sexist, and a bit representative of a more traditional male-centric German society. It is also interesting that divorce is a common thread in humor of many cultures and nations.

Collector’s Name: Christina Wulff

Tags/Keywords:

• Verbal Lore
• Joke
• Divorce Joke in German