“…And she didn’t even flush!” While those five words might appear innocent and meaningless, their delivery brought about a moment scientists have been anticipating for centuries: the end of original squat toilet jokes. “It all started in 1972”, explained Ping Longyuan, currently researching joke topics in China which are close to reaching their creative conclusions, such as cold water and taxi drivers. “Richard Nixon was overheard saying to a member of the secret service after using the toilet: “I finally understand why they bow here instead of shake hands.” As Western and Chinese cultures became more integrated, the number of people who would make squat toilet jokes rose exponentially.”“At first, the jokes were very good”, he continued. “They really hit everything: no toilet paper, no doors, the fact that it was difficult to read a newspaper while you
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