2013-12-07
Explanation
The Joke
A couple lies in bed discussing sex. One partner observes that their sex is "ambiguous," prompting a lengthy academic-style debate about how to categorize and taxonomize the activity. They identify that sex has "two major branches: procreation and commandments," then rule out procreation, leaving "seven phyla: lust, sloth, despair, frustration, confusion, and maintenance." They further argue over subcategories like "caustic similarity to arguing" and "reaction time and pupil dilation." The discussion spirals into ever more granular classification until one partner suggests they just have sex instead -- but the other insists they have now "transitioned to taxonomy sex," which itself must be taxonomized. The final panel reveals the couple has fallen asleep, with one noting "the libido is still there."
The Humor
The comedy comes from applying rigorous scientific classification systems to something as personal and instinctive as sex. Instead of simply enjoying the moment, the couple turns their intimate life into an academic exercise, complete with phyla, branches, and subcategories -- parodying the tendency of overthinkers (especially those with academic or scientific mindsets) to analyze everything to death. The recursive trap is the final twist: even the act of taxonomizing sex becomes a new type of sex that must itself be taxonomized, creating an infinite regress that ensures they never actually do anything. The joke also riffs on the absurdity of relationship conversations that become so meta they defeat their own purpose.
References
The taxonomic language (phyla, branches, maintenance) parodies the Linnaean biological classification system used in biology to categorize living organisms.