2011-03-31
Explanation
The comic shows a stand-up comedian performing on stage, delivering the line: "And for the rest of the night, you'll wonder if she actually enjoyed sex or was just trying to avoid relationship conflict!" The audience members are shown looking uncomfortable rather than laughing.
The humor operates on two levels. On one level, it is a comedian making an observational joke about the anxieties that can accompany sexual relationships -- the insecurity of wondering whether a partner's enthusiasm was genuine or performative. On another level, the joke is about comedy itself: this is the kind of "joke" that is too painfully real and uncomfortable to actually be funny. Rather than providing the exaggeration or absurdity that makes observational humor work, the comedian has simply stated an anxiety that many people genuinely experience, making the audience squirm rather than laugh. It is a meta-comic about the thin line between comedy and just saying something depressing.