Traditional Format
This joke almost always has these elements—alternative versions may change this form.
- Setup: A family act going in to see a talent agent; either the whole family or just one family member (usually the father).
- The agent asks what they do.
- If the whole family is present, the act is performed for the agent; otherwise it is described.
- Act: It is described in as much detail as the teller prefers.
- While most tellings follow one of a few basic forms, the description of the act is meant to be an ad lib.
- Traditionally, the description is tasteless, and ribald. The goal is to significantly transgress social norms. Taboo acts such as incest, rape, coprophilia, coprophagy, bestiality, and murder are common themes.
- Punch line: The shocked (or intrigued) agent asks what the act is called, and the proud answer (sometimes delivered with a flourish) is: "The Aristocrats!"
- The intention of the punch line is in the reading of the joke as a satirical comment on the decadence of the aristocracy.
Read more about this topic: The Aristocrats (joke)
Famous quotes containing the word traditional:
“Americans want action for their money. They are fascinated by its self-reproducing qualities if it’s put to work.... Gold-hoarding goes against the American grain; it fits in better with European pessimism than with America’s traditional optimism.”
—Paula Nelson (b. 1945)