Editing Lightbulb joke (section)

== Variations ==

Some versions of the joke are [[pun]]s on the words "[[:wikt:change|change]]"<ref>Dundes in Boskin, 255–256.</ref> or "[[:wikt:screw#Synonyms|screw]]",<ref>Dundes in Boskin, 253–255.</ref> or "light":

{{block indent|<poem>'''Q.''' How many [[psychiatrist]]s does it take to change a light bulb?
'''A.''' None—the light bulb will change when it's ready.<ref>{{cite journal| url = http://net.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/erm0355.pdf| title = Slow Change in a Fast Culture| author = Morris W. Beverage Jr.| journal = Educause Review| page = 10| date = September–October 2003}}</ref><ref>{{cite book| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=zgbtQNhdiE4C| title = The New Accountability| author1 = Martin Carnoy| author1-link = Martin Carnoy| author2 = Richard F. Elmore| author2-link = Richard F. Elmore| author3 = Leslie Santee Siskin| publisher = Routledge| year = 2003| pages = 195| isbn = 978-0-415-94705-3}}</ref></poem>}}

{{block indent|<poem>'''Q.''' How many flies does it take to [[Animal sexual behavior|screw]] in a lightbulb?
'''A.''' Two, but don't ask me how they got in there.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Suarez|first1=Louise Marie|title=Folklore and Its Electronic Modes of Transmission: Xerography, Electronic Mail, and Facsimile|date=1991|publisher=University of California, Berkeley|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=koRLAQAAMAAJ|language=en}}</ref></poem>}}

{{block indent|<poem>'''Q.''' How many hands does it take to change a lightbulb?
'''A.''' [[wikt:many hands make light work|Many]].</poem>}}

Lightbulb jokes are often responses to contemporary events.<ref>Dundes in Boskin, 255.</ref>
For example, the lightbulb may not need to be changed at all due to ongoing [[power outage]]s.<ref>{{cite web
| url = http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-10263515_ITM
| title = And the winner is ... California
| author = Michael Miller
| publisher = Silicon Valley / San Jose Business Journal
| date = 2001-02-16
| access-date = 2007-12-14
| quote = There are also a dozen light-bulb jokes zooming around the Internet, but what good are lightbulb jokes if you don't have power?
}}</ref>

''[[The Village Voice]]'' held a $200 lightbulb joke contest around the time of the [[Iran hostage crisis]], with the winning joke being:<ref name="Dundes">Dundes, 264.</ref>{{block indent|<poem>'''Q.''' How many Iranians does it take to change a light bulb?
'''A.''' You send us the prize money and we'll tell you the answer.</poem>}}

Lightbulb jokes can also be about sports, teasing about their team's past, future, etc.

  {{block indent|<poem>'''Q.'''  How many [[Manchester United]] fans does it take to screw in a lightbulb?
''' A.''' They don't, they just talk about how good the old one was.</poem>}}

Lightbulb jokes can also be related to religious groups and denominations.

{{Block indent|text=<poem>'''Q.''' Why is it easier for a [[Pentecostal]] to change a light bulb?
'''A.''' Because their hands are already up.</poem>}}