Ethnic humor...

[alexpgp]

What's the difference between a Scotsman and a coconut?

One of the folks on the Russian translation community here on LJ figured out the point of the punch line ("You can get a drink out of a coconut") but wondered what's so funny about the Scots being stingy?

Hmmm. There is this genre of joke in Russia that makes fun of an Arctic people known as the Chukcha:

Заблудились два чукчи в лесу. Сидят, задумались.
Один вдруг говорит:
-Я слыхал, когда русский заблудится, он АУуу кричит, или стреляет.
-Давай будем что-нибудь делать. Давай стрелять!
-Стеляли, стреляли - никто не отзывается. Давай опять стрелять!
-Однако! Ну его, давай Ауу-у кричать, а то стрелы - кончаются.

Two Chukchas are lost in the woods. They sit and think.
Suddenly, one says, "I've heard that when a Russian gets lost, he either yells 'Ah-ooooooo' or shoots into the air."
"Let's do something. Let's shoot!"
"We've been shooting and shooting, but nobody's answering. Let's shoot some more!"
"To be sure! But hey, let's start yelling 'Ah-ooooooo' because you know, we're running out of arrows."

This raises a fundamental question: What's funny about any ethnic humor?

Or are there distinctions to be drawn?

Cheers...