Jeffrey died and went to hell. Once there, he found that there was a different hell representing every country. He decided to seek out the least painful one.
At the door to German Hell, he was told: “First we put you in an electric chair for an hour. Then we lay you on a bed of nails for another hour. Then the German devil comes in and whips you for the rest of the day.”
Jeffrey did not like the sound of that, so he checked out the American Hell, Russian Hell and many more. They were all similarly themed with electric chairs, nail beds, and whipping.
However, when he came to the Italian Hell, there was a long line of people waiting to get in. Amazed, he asked, “What do they do here?”
The doorman explained, “First we put you in an electric chair for an hour. Then we lay you on a bed of nails for another hour. Then the Italian devil comes in and whips you for the rest of the day.”
“But that’s the same as the others!” exclaimed Jeffrey. “Why are so many people waiting to get in?”
“Because of the power cuts, the electric chair does not work. The nails were paid for but never supplied, which makes the bed comfortable. And the Italian devil used to be a civil servant, so he comes in, signs his time sheet and goes back home for private business.”