2014-02-20
Explanation
The Joke
A nurse or birthing instructor at a birthing center explains that taking narcotics to ease labor pain will make you feel sort of drunk. She advises: when deciding what you want, consider what you are like when drunk -- are you a happy drunk or a sad drunk? The expecting mother, apparently a belligerent drunk, immediately demands to be taken to Taco Bell "or there will be blood." The final panel shows someone marking "Narcotics? YES" on a form.
The Humor
The humor plays on the well-known phenomenon that alcohol (and by extension, narcotics) lowers inhibitions and reveals people's uninhibited personalities. The expecting mother's instant transformation into an aggressive, fast-food-demanding persona when merely contemplating the effects of narcotics is a funny exaggeration of the "angry drunk" archetype. The additional punchline of the nurse immediately checking "yes" to narcotics on the form implies either that (a) the mother's threatening behavior convinced them to sedate her, or (b) the mother herself aggressively insisted on the drugs. The comic finds humor in the gap between the serene, clinical birthing center setting and the chaotic reality of dealing with people under the influence.