WhatsofunnyDONKEYS KILL MORE PEOPLE ANNUALLY THAN PLANE CRASHES OR SHARK ATTACKS. SO WATCH YOUR ASS.
What’s so funny about this? I had to think a moment about the statement this joke makes. When there is a fatal airplane crash it is spectacular and always makes the news. When an entire plane load of people crashes and they all die, the numbers add up pretty quickly. However, after looking on the internet, I learned that on the average, “only” 200 people die annually in plane crashes. Contrast that to 40,000 deaths from automobile accidents. That means you have a 200% greater chance of dying in a car than in a plane. As far as shark attacks, there is an average of 100 reported attacks annually (can’t tell how many go unreported). Out of this number maybe 5 -10 are fatal. So, adding airplane and shark related deaths, we get roughly 210 per year. Now, what about these killer donkeys? Most likely, this is an urban myth and maybe a rural legend. Trouble is, there are NO statistics related to donkey deaths. I’m sure there
are plenty of injuries and possibly a fatal kick here or there, but since no one keeps track of this stuff, no comparison is possible. The myth may have originated in 1987, when a London newspaper wrote about how people were unreasonably afraid of flying and the reporter might have just invented this so-called statistic as a joke to reassure people that flying was safe.
Roughly 45 years ago I was in my 20’s and travelling in Egypt. We spent a day riding donkeys around the Valley of the Kings up and down some very steep hills. I was pretty scared and I did fantasize the donkey tripping and my falling several hundred feet onto a bunch of rocks, so I can definitely relate to death by donkey. But they are sure-footed creatures and I did manage to live to write this little audioboo. But does this all mean that you don’t have to be careful and watch your ass? Keep in mind that ass means both donkey as well as your buttocks. In general, I prefer to observe the buttocks of the opposite sex, than my own, but the phrase “watch your ass” does mean to be careful. So by all means do be careful and if you own any donkeys you can watch their asses too.
And THAT’s what’s so funny!