Jesus & "Yo Momma" Jokes
The Secret Sauce of Roasts & Parables (Comedy Mindhacks #11)
There’s a special kind of magic that happens when someone tells a story and you see yourself in it. I tend to think every good movie does that. So do a lot of good jokes. And it works, not because you’ve lived the exact same thing, but because the shape of it is similar, it just fits. Now, maybe you didn’t know it, but in literary & psychological terms, that’s called “isomorphism.”
I know, that sounds like a disease you pick up on mission trips, but it’s actually a storytelling technique derived from a Greek compound word that means “same shape.” So, when it’s done right, it creates a weird kind of brain-mirror where the story and the listener line up just enough to cause laughter, reflection, or both. Sometimes it’s used to help people and other times, it’s used to take them down a peg.
Therapists, for instance, use it all the time. Here’s how it goes: you show up, spill your heart out, and suddenly they’re like, “Imagine you’re a horse on a frozen lake with a broken hoof and daddy issues.” And somehow, you cry. Okay, that’s a bit of an exaggeration. But you get the point. The real key to unlocking the power of isomorphism like this lies in the therapist building a world just different enough that you (the patient) let your guard down, but to also build a world just familiar enough that you (the patient) get punched in the soul.
Many don’t realize it, but Jesus used this strategy often. His parables were isomorphic in nature, isomorphic roasts, we might say. He’d be like, “There was a farmer who planted seeds,” and suddenly the Pharisees were like, “Wait a minute... is he calling us names?!” Yeah, as a matter of fact, he was. #BoomRoasted
In stand-up comedy, isomorphism is how similes and analogies shine. If I’m doing crowd work and I say, “This guy looks like a vape pen found in the parking lot at Jiffy Lube,” it hits because it’s somehow both accurate of both contexts. The same principle applies to “yo momma” jokes. “Yo momma so fat, when she sits around the house, she really sits around the house.” It’s absurd. It’s funny. It’s weird. But it works. That’s the shape-matching in action.
Roasts like this live off isomorphism. The trick is to match the traits of the target with a metaphor so perfect it feels inevitable that you’ll have to admit the similarities. The visual created in the mind via isomorphism does all the heavy lifting here. And that’s precisely also why you get a laugh out of it. Hip hop artists are often elite at this. Some of them can drop a metaphor so fast and accurate and tight and with such sting that all you can do is cheer or laugh. I was just helping a fellow comedian write roast jokes a few days ago. It was fun and hilarious.
As a comedian, if you want to get better at writing jokes like this, I’ve got a whole Udemy course called The Joke Writer’s Lab. You can learn how to shape analogies that cut deep and similes that punch. I go into all the mechanics there of joke writing, from structure to timing. There’s also a private Facebook group I run by the same name: The Joke Writer’s Lab. Come join us.
I’ve even created a practice site called The Joke Writer’s Lab where you can on material like this. It’s not therapy but, in my opinion, it can be very therapeutic. In a nutshell: funny jokes and stories work because they let people see themselves without feeling really attacked. That’s the goal. Whether you’re trying to help someone heal or just trying to ruin their self-esteem in front of a live audience, isomorphism is your best best. And it’s also Comedy Mindhack #11. Try it!