An Irishman, a Greek, and a Jew are involved in a fatal accident. They arrive before Saint Peter, each in an angry and defensive mood. “Who’s the man who knocked me down? Let me at him and sure I’ll break every bone in his body,” says the Irishman. The Greek pulls out a long, sharp knife and began looking around for someone to cut. The Jew (of course) puts his hand to the back of his neck and yells “Whiplash! Whiplash! I’m gonna sue!”
Saint Peter looks on with disgust. “Stop it, the three of you! This is 1998, and you’re all acting like ethnic stereotypes from an earlier time. We no longer permit politically incorrect jokes in heaven.
“Here’s what I’ll do. I’m going to send you three back down to earth, and you’ll get one more chance. If you each can live one day without doing anything that’s an ethnic stereotype, then you can live out your lives as though nothing ever happened. But the moment any of you says or does anything that’s politically incorrect, that’s it. Bam! You’re going to the Other Place, where they still like ethnic jokes.”
Suddenly, the three men find themselves back on earth, at the very streetcorner where the accident took place. In joy and relief, they begin walking, until they pass a bar. “Ah,” says the Irishman, “’tis a fine day to be alive again and have a thirst that can be quenched I’ll just be dropping in here for a bit.”
“Dont do it! Don’t do it!” cry the other two. “It’s an ethnic stereotype.”
“Ah,” said the Irishman, “no one was ever harmed by a drop or two of good whiskey.” And he goes in and orders a drink. But as he lifts it to his lips, Poof! he disappears.
The Greek and the Jew walk on, saddened by their companion’s fate. But suddenly, the Jew brightens up and trots down the street. There, lying in the gutter, is a dollar bill.
“So, this is not such a bad day. First, I come back from the dead. Now, I’m finding money on the streets.”
“Wait”, says the Greek. “Don’t do it — it’s an ethnic stereotype.”
“Listen,” says the Jew, “ethnic, shmethnic. Money is money.”
So the Jew bends over to pick up the bill, and Poof! both he and the Greek disappear.