“‘Are your arms tired from holding five pieces of paper? You need a podium!’ (podium salesman)”
Several jokes state that a podium is a product that a salesman can stand behind. However, you stand on a podium, and you stand behind a lectern.
“It must really suck to be a podium salesman. ‘Are your arms tired out from holding five pieces of paper?’ You need a podium!” was posted on Twitter by Rudy Ramos on July 7, 2011. “‘Are your arms tired from holding two pieces of paper?’—(Podium Salesman)” was posted on Twitter by Ghetto Ace on August 26, 2011. “I’d hate to be a podium salesman…...‘Are your arms tired out from holding five pieces of paper?’” was posted on Twitter by ☜ Kichwa ♛ Kibov® on January 18, 2012. “‘Great speech! Have you thought about giving it from behind a wooden box for some reason?’ - podium salesman” was posted on Twitter by WhatsAppKe on November 4, 2014.
“Podiums, there’s a product I can stand behind!” was posted on Reddit—Oneliners on March 2, 2018. “My grandfather was the best damn podium salesman in the business. He always stood behind his product” was posted on Reddit—Jokes on June 25, 2018. “I’m proud of my job as a podium salesman. It’s a product I can stand behind” was posted on LaffGaff on October 12, 2021.
The joke was said by Canadian stand-up comedian, writer, and actor Norm Macdonald (1959-2021). “@normmacdonald: ‘I’d like to take this moment to say I endorse podiums. That’s a product I can stand behind!’ #debatenight” was posted on Twitter by Chris Brodeur on September 26, 2016. “I endorse podiums. That’s a product I can stand behind! -Norm Macdonald” was posted on Reddit—Jokes on January 4, 2020. The joke can be seen on YouTube (at about the one minute mark).
Wikipedia: Podium
A podium (plural podiums or podia) is a platform used to raise something to a short distance above its surroundings. It derives from the Greek πόδι (foot). In architecture a building can rest on a large podium. Podiums can also be used to raise people, for instance the conductor of an orchestra stands on a podium as do many public speakers.
Common parlance has shown an increasing use of podium in North American English to describe a lectern.
Wikipedia: Lectern
A lectern (from the Latin lectus, past participle of legere, “to read”) is a reading desk, with a slanted top, usually placed on a stand or affixed to some other form of support, on which documents or books are placed as support for reading aloud, as in a scripture reading, lecture, or sermon. To facilitate eye contact and improve posture when facing an audience, lecterns may have adjustable height and slant. People generally use lecterns while standing.
Twitter
voting doesnt matter…u get Pile of poo
@filosofunk
Debate vocab 101: You stand on a podium; you stand behind a lectern. There were no lecterns in tonight’s debate. #debate08
10:48 PM · Oct 7, 2008·Twitter Web Client
Twitter
Rudy Ramos
@Rudy151
It must really suck to be a podium salesman. “Are your arms tired out from holding five pieces of paper?” You need a podium!
1:02 PM · Jul 7, 2011·Twitter for BlackBerry®
Twitter
Ghetto Ace
@G5LDN
“Are your arms tired from holding two pieces of paper?”—(Podium Salesman)
5:04 PM · Aug 26, 2011·UberSocial for BlackBerry
Twitter
The Weed Tao
@weedtao
It must really suck to be a podium salesman. “Are your arms tired out from holding five pieces of paper?” You need a podium!
7:30 AM · Sep 21, 2011·SocialOomph
Twitter
Luke McCarthy
@lukemc_va
It must really suck to be a podium salesman. “Are your arms tired out from holding five pieces of paper?” You need a podium!
1:12 PM · Nov 16, 2011· HTC Peep
Twitter
☜ Kichwa ♛ Kibov®
@Hanniballad
I’d hate to be a podium salesman…...“Are your arms tired out from holding five pieces of paper?”
4:31 AM · Jan 18, 2012·TweetDeck
Twitter
Cole Trickle
@83til_infinity
Folks still calling lecterns “podiums” eh? Here’s a hint - You stand ON podiums. You stand BEHIND lecterns.
3:04 PM · Jul 30, 2012·TweetDeck
Twitter
WhatsAppKe
@afrikanpope
“Great speech! Have you thought about giving it from behind a wooden box for some reason?” - podium salesman
1:49 PM · Nov 4, 2014 from Kenya·Twitter Web Client
Twitter
Taylor
@tay987654
“Great speech! Have you thought about giving it from behind a wooden box for some reason?” - podium salesman
6:21 PM · Dec 20, 2014·Twitter for BlackBerry®
Twitter
Chris Brodeur
@ChrisJBrodeur
.@normmacdonald: “I’d like to take this moment to say I endorse podiums. That’s a product I can stand behind!” #debatenight
8:54 PM · Sep 26, 2016·Twitter for iPhone
Twitter
Arnab Chanda
@arnabacus
“I’d like to announce today that I endorse podiums. Now that’s a product I can stand behind.” -Norm MacDonald
11:56 AM · Jul 23, 2017 from London, England·Twitter Web Client
Reddit—Oneliners
Posted by u/OppositeFingat March 2, 2018
Podiums, there’s a product I can stand behind!
YouTube
Norm Macdonald - Best Of Jokes Part 1
May 6, 2018
realm
Trimmed down version of the original ‘Best of Seasons 1, 2 & 3’ which can no longer be viewed.
(At about the one minute mark.—ed.)
“I would like to take this moment to say I endorse podiums. That’s a product I can stand behind!”
Reddit—Jokes
Posted by u/ServalSpots June 25, 2018
My grandfather was the best damn podium salesman in the business
He always stood behind his product.
Twitter
It was the Busta Rhymes, it was the worsta rhymes
@Trilliam_Yeats
If I was a celebrity, I would be happy to endorse lecterns.
It’s a product I can stand behind.
1:44 PM · Nov 5, 2018 from Pittsburg, CA·Twitter for iPhone
Reddit—Dadjokes
Posted by u/MNMKandyKane May 14, 2019
I endorse podiums!
Now that’s a product I can stand behind
Reddit—Jokes
Posted by u/the-best-cake June 10, 2019
Can I just say that I endorse podiums
That is a product I can stand behind.
Reddit—Jokes
Posted by u/1newworldorder August 11, 2019
With the elections coming i endorse podiums
Now thats something anyone can stand behind
COMMENTS
UnholyDrinkerOfMilk
You mean lecterns..
Reddit—Jokes
Posted by u/dustfirecentury October 25, 2019
I am proud to say that I endorse podiums…
...finally, a product I can stand behind.
Reddit—Jokes
Posted by u/jurij424 January 4, 2020
I endorse podiums
That’s a product I can stand behind!
-Norm Macdonald
City Journal
A Comedy Legend
Remembering Norm Macdonald
Theodore Kupfer
September 14, 2021 Arts and CultureOther
(...)
If Macdonald’s celebrity stature peaked early, the quality of his comedy steadily improved. He moved from riffing on current events to making jokes about deliberately uncontemporary subjects—part of an effort to make his comedy timeless by writing elegant jokes whose punch lines were perfectly contained in the setup. Podiums? “That’s a product I can stand behind.”
LaffGaff
Podium Salesman
October 12, 2021 by laffgaff
I’m proud of my job as a podium salesman.
It’s a product I can stand behind.