The term “kitten” refers to the immature, infant form of the typical housecat (Felis catus). A library’s card catalog is a registry system by which books available in the library may be found, based on on certain classification criteria. These criteria include genre and authorship for works of literature, or subject matter for reference material. Such physical catalogs have generally been phased out in favor for more efficient computer based system. So, within the realm of the joke, there are few kittens in modern libraries, as there are few card catalogs. And truthfully, they are indeed an uncommon sight.
The sound generated by a telephone is typically referred to as a “ring”. This description originates from older models of telephones that preceded modern digital versions, where the alert can be customized to practically any sound. The ringing sound was generated by a vibrating mechanism that would strike against some resonating surface, much like a pendulum within a bell, though faster. The term “ring” also refers to a geometric shape, a hollow, short cylinder, and jewelry elements that adhere to that form. Common ring placement includes around one’s fingers, a wedding ring being a typical example of such. This joke confounds these two definitions, as a telephone may possess the capacity to “ring” but not the capacity to wear a “ring” as jewelery.
A spool, at least in this context, is a cylinder around which thread is wound. Thread is a long strand of interconnected fibers typically used to create sheets, or cloth, and connect them to one another. In this manner, clothing and various decorative elements are created. When thread is twisted or braided together, it can form thicker, sturdier strands, such as rope. Rope has a variety of constructive uses, such as fastening objects, constructing pulleys, and assembling nooses to finally put an end to one’s ceaseless emotional turmoil because your dad said you were an idiot for going to art school, called you a worthless faggot who would never amount to anything and you cried and screamed FUCK YOU OLD MAN and dreamed of a time when the world at large would realize your passion and talent and love you, love you like a dad that didn’t binge drink or rail syphilitic prostitutes on the bed he once shared with the woman who, solely in a biological sense, could be called your mother but now all you’ve got is this goddamn Popsicle job… thread rides a spool bus, plumber rides a tool bus, Polar bear rides a cool bus, you ride a short bus straight into a brick wall. It’s funny because it has to be. Because sometimes you just have to laugh to keep from crying.
A common point of discussion in sociology and psychology is the concept of identity and precisely what elements of our own minds, and the collective, establish our functional notions of ourselves. The principle of “nation”, and likewise “nationality”, are fairly recent phenomena, yet are strongly planted in popular notions of self. Individuals tend to feel an abstract solidarity with others living within the borders of the nation which they occupy, despite vast potential cultural differences. Such cultural differences may extend to such facets of life as cuisine, employment and education level, and music preference. Country music is a genre typically associated with the American South, where this geography teacher is evidently from. The joke is humorous in that it implies someone from the American South is qualified to teach another human being anything.
A “swing” is a hanging seat, often suspended from trees or artificial implements near homes or in playgrounds. It is attached by rope or chain, and an individual, typically a child (though adults and even professional acrobats can utilize the device), oscillates back and forth in a pendulous motion. The term “swing” also refers to a subgenre of jazz music. The logic of this statement implies that if a playground could attain sentience and develop some sort of musical preference, that preference would somehow reflect its physical contents. Other apparatuses typically found on a playground, such as slides and jungle gyms (metallic bars constructed in such a way as to facilitate climbing), are not terms that also reflect musical genres.
Baseball, a popular sport in the United States, pits two opposing teams against one another. One team places its members, one after the next, in the hitting, or batting, position, where they are given three attempts to strike at a ball being thrown towards them. After failing to make contact with the ball three times, the team member holding the bat is “out”. Likewise, if he succeeds and a member of the opposing team catches the ball he strikes, he is “out”. Three such outs prompt a reversal of team orientation, with the batting team now throwing, or pitching as it is generally referred to. In order to win, a team must score “runs”. That is, if they make it to one of three bases (which must be ascended in counter-clockwise order) before the ball is retrieved, they are “safe” and may attempt to complete the circuit upon another batter’s successful strike. A “home run” is a ball hit such a distance that circumstance makes it difficult or impossible to retrieve in the time necessary to prevent the batter from completing the circuit in one attempt. A hypothetical baseball fan would intuitively hope a member of the team they choose to support would achieve many such home runs, as they are the most immediate way to aggregate points (the team with the most points is the victor). The foolish protagonist of this joke wishes to see such a home run, but instead provides his house with a pair of sneakers. Sneakers are typically used as running shoes and if his house, which we assume to be his domicile (and thus “home”) had the capacity to use these sneakers, this protagonist could witness a home run. However, such a home run would not be beneficial to the fan’s cause, thus a frivolous, and comic, effort.
“Hip Hop” is both a genre of music and a subculture originating from urban African American and Latino communities in the 1970’s. Rabbits, small mammals of the family Leporidae, order Lagomorpha, typically do not have any manner of solidarity with human ethnic groups nor any predilection towards any known music genre. The humor here relies on the similarity between the genre’s name and the verb used to describe the physical movement of these rodents. Rabbits move from place to place via fast extensions of their hind legs, propelling them in short bursts known as “hops”. The essentiality of this hopping motion to our common cultural conception of rabbits is the operative link in this joke (which implies this essentiality extends, rather superficially, to their fictional music taste).
This joke hinges on the fact that the word used to describe the hard, protective dermal plates common to many species of fish, “scales”, is a homonym for a term used to describe a series of musical notes in ascending or descending order. In discussing the biological material, we refer to a tangible substance, whereas in the discussion of music, “scales” are more an abstract concept. Literally, music and fish share little similarity, making the question itself counter-intuitive. The essence of humor.
While “handymen”, in the professional sense, traditionally do not go to school (as they have either completed vocational training or work full time), this joke asks its audience to forgo that understanding in order to build comedic tension. The solution, “tool bus”, is amusing because it is an amalgam of “school bus”, the sort of vehicle children ride to school, and “tools”, objects which handymen utilize in their jobs.
