2015-01-24
Explanation
The Joke
A construction worker catcalls a woman with "Hey babydoll!" She recoils with "Oh God." But instead of a crude remark, he begins reciting classical Chinese poetry: "I enter the court through the middle gate — and my sleeve is wet with tears. The flowers still grow in the courtyard, since the sparrows have fled since their master came by the window..." He analyzes the poet's use of common language in a poetic context as "sublime, sugar-tits."
In the final panel (labeled "Later"), a different pair of construction workers remark, "Have you noticed that every job requires a college degree now?" One says "It's great, isn't it?" and the other emphatically responds "No!"
The Humor
The comic subverts the catcalling trope in an unexpected direction. Instead of the construction worker delivering a vulgar pickup line, he launches into sophisticated literary analysis of classical Chinese poetry — while still using crude terms of address like "sugar-tits." The juxtaposition of high culture and lowbrow behavior is the primary source of humor.
The second punchline in the "Later" panel ties it together: the reason construction workers are now quoting Tang Dynasty poetry is that every job, including construction, now requires a college degree. This satirizes the real-world trend of credential inflation, where jobs that historically did not require higher education increasingly demand degrees. The comic suggests an absurd consequence: blue-collar workers forced to get liberal arts educations who then deploy their knowledge in inappropriate contexts.
References
The poem being recited appears to be a work by Po Chu-i (also romanized as Bai Juyi), a major Chinese poet of the Tang Dynasty (772-846 CE). Po Chu-i was known for writing in a deliberately simple, accessible style so that even common people could understand his poetry. The construction worker's observation about "his use of common language in a poetic context" is an accurate description of Po Chu-i's distinctive literary approach.