Coexistence: what the farmer does with the turkey — until Thanksgiving.

Connolly’s quip treats “coexistence” as a euphemism for a temporary, self-interested truce. The farmer and turkey appear to live in peaceful proximity, but the relationship is defined by an unspoken deadline—Thanksgiving—when the farmer’s ultimate purpose is revealed. The joke generalizes to politics and diplomacy: calls for coexistence can mask power imbalances, deferred conflict, or exploitation, where one party benefits from calm until it is convenient to end it. Its sting comes from the turkey’s presumed ignorance and the farmer’s concealed intention, highlighting how “peace” can be contingent rather than principled.