2014-07-30
Explanation
The Joke
A man delivers an elaborate postmodernist monologue: "You have your truth, and I have mine. All knowledge is theory-laden. All perception is internal to the perceiver. There is no meaningful 'reality.' In the shadow cast by this knowledge, I decide for myself what is good and what is not." He speaks with great philosophical conviction while his conversation partner looks on skeptically.
The caption below reads: "Postmodernism is the only explanation for black licorice."
The Humor
The joke takes the lofty philosophical framework of postmodernism — which argues that truth is subjective, reality is constructed, and individuals create their own meaning — and uses it to explain something trivially mundane: why anyone would enjoy black licorice, a candy that is famously polarizing and widely disliked.
The implication is that the only way someone could genuinely claim black licorice is good is if they have completely rejected objective reality and decided to construct their own personal truth. It mocks postmodernist philosophy by suggesting its most practical real-world application is justifying bad taste in candy.
References
Postmodernism is a broad intellectual movement that questions the existence of objective truth and universal narratives. Key postmodernist thinkers include Jacques Derrida, Michel Foucault, and Jean-François Lyotard. Black licorice, flavored with anise or licorice root extract, is a notoriously divisive candy — many people find its flavor unpleasant.