In Defense of Shit

The poop joke, or what most critics (and snobs) would refer to as scatalogical humor, always draws ire from those paid judges of our cultural output. I, for one, am proud to say that I absolutely love toilet humor and am baffled by the people who deride such comedy as childish tripe, refusing to even crack a smile.

It is this very inability in some people to laugh at the absurdity of our own bodily functions that points to why poop jokes aren't just funny, but humanizing as well.

There is an old Simpsons episode in which Sideshow Bob is reunited with his brother, Cecil. In a flashback, we learn that Cecil originally auditioned for the sidekick position on the Krusty the Klown Show. During his audition, Cecil gladly smashes a cream pie into his own face in an attempt so show his comedic prowess. No one laughs. Krusty only says, "It's only funny if you got dignity."

Seeing Bob off to the side dressed in a very British-looking 3-piece suit and derby hat, Krusty orders someone to "throw a pie at Lord Fauntleroy there." Bob is taken aback at the creamy assault. His hat falls off and his hair springs out of control. The effect is hilarious.

This is why the poop joke is funny. We, the human race, spend a lot of time trying to preserve this illusion that somehow, we are above Nature. We wear fragrances to mask our natural scents, we streamline our food cultivation so we don't have to hunt or gather, and we treat sex as this insane taboo when it's the sole reason any of us were ever born. We're a species that doesn't like to acknowledge that we're just another kind of animal.

So, enter the poop joke to keep us in check. Poop reminds us that despite whatever our class, culture, society, etc. we still are animals. It makes no difference if you're Donald Trump or some street bum, you still shit.

A great example of the poop joke and how it works can be seen in Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle. In this greatly funny film, there's a scene where our two heroes are hiding in a women's restroom when in walks two gorgeous girls...

Let us pause for a moment here to reflect on the nature of gorgeous women. Our culture portrays beautiful women as almost-holy deities sent from Heaven to grace us all with their perfect beauty and presence. There's even a phenomenon called the Halo Effect in which we associate a myriad of positive traits with a person based solely on their being attractive. We tend to imagine gorgeous women as kind, intelligent, gracious, etc. So, pretty girls have a lot of esteem and dignity.

Back to Harold & Kumar hiding in the women's room. These two hot girls enter, each grab a stall, and proceed to take the noisiest, grossest-sounding "taco shits" ever depicted. It's downright explosive and hilarious. They go from being dainty creatures full of beauty and grace to filthy critters shitting themselves silly.

So instead of refusing to crack a smile when someone makes a poop joke, get off of your high horse and realize that yeah, it's fucking nuts that we shit. It's even crazier that all living creatures shit and that all of us drop ass every day. It's hilarious.