2014-09-25
Explanation
The Joke
A grandfather is speaking to what appears to be a young boy, saying: "Imagine you're a general. Your army is the only chance to keep your race alive. You know that if you send them out, almost all of them will die. The question becomes, boy, do you have the stomach for war?" The caption at the bottom reads: "I'm glad we had Grampa give Bobby the sex talk."
The Humor
The humor comes from the reveal in the caption. What initially reads as a dramatic wartime speech about sacrifice and courage turns out to be a grandfather's way of explaining sexual reproduction to a child -- specifically, the journey of sperm cells. The "army" is sperm, "keeping your race alive" refers to reproduction, "almost all of them will die" describes the fact that out of millions of sperm, only one fertilizes the egg, and "the stomach for war" becomes a comically overwrought way of asking if the boy understands the birds and the bees. The joke works because the military metaphor is technically accurate as a description of reproduction but is an absurdly inappropriate way to give "the talk" to a child. The parents' comment about being "glad" Grandpa handled it adds another layer, implying they think this went well.