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Most jokes contain two components: joke Setup (for example, "A man walks into a bar...") and a Punchline , which, when juxtaposed with the setup, provides the necessary irony to elicit laughter from the audience. PSYCHOLOGY OF JOKES Why we laugh has been the subject of serious academic study, examples being:
:Marvin suggests that laughter has a specific function related to the human Brain . In his opinion jokes and laughter are mechanisms for the brain to learn Nonsense . For that reason, he argues, jokes are usually not as funny when you hear them repeatedly.
:Edward de Bono suggests that the mind is a pattern matching machine, and that it works by recognising stories and behavior and putting them into familiar patterns. When a familiar connection is disrupted and an alternative unexpected new link is made in the brain via a different route than expected, then laughter occurs ''as the new connection is made''. This theory explains a lot about jokes. For example:
Laughter , the intended human reaction to jokes, is healthful in moderation, uses the Stomach Muscle s, and releases Endorphin s, natural Happiness -inducing chemicals, into the Bloodstream . One of the most complete and informative books on different types of jokes and how to tell them is '' Isaac Asimov's Treasury Of Humor '', which encompasses several broad categories of Humor , and gives useful tips on how to tell them, who to tell them to, and ways to change the joke to fit your Audience . TYPES OF JOKES Jokes often depend for humour on the unexpected, the mildly Taboo (which can include the distasteful or socially improper), or the playing on Stereotype s and other cultural Myth s. Many jokes fit into more than one category. Political jokes See also: Political Satire ''Political jokes'' tell about Politician s and heads of state. Two large categories of this type of jokes exist. The first one makes fun of a negative attitude to political opponents or to politicians in general. The second one makes fun of political cliches, mottos, catch phrases or simply blunders of politicians. Examples :Q: A child, an honest politician, and Santa Claus all spot a $20 Bill on the ground. Who picks it up? :A: The child. The other two don't exist. :A couple are touring a graveyard when they spot a tombstone that reads "Here lies a politician and an honest man." The man says to the woman, "Look honey, there's two people in that grave." A related subcategory is '' Lawyer Jokes '' plays on the commonly-held stereotypes about lawyers. : You're sitting in your riverfront office one day, when you see a lawyer and an IRS agent drowning. You can only save one of them. Do you (a) read the paper, or (b) go to lunch? The following joke circulates for quite some time, with many different versions for :One day See also Professional jokes See Professional Humor Medical jokes See Medical Humor Mathematical jokes ''Main article: Mathematical Joke '' There are numerous jokes related to mathematics. Many of them are In-jokes , but may also be understandable by laymen. A series of them parodies mathematical/logical chains of reason.
Jokes in a certain category superficially look like math, but their essence is more akin to Chemical Composition . :Smart man + smart woman = romance; :Smart man + dumb woman = affair; :Dumb man + smart woman = marriage; :Dumb man + dumb woman = pregnancy. Chemistry joke One sodium atom says "oh no! I think I lost an electron", another atom asks "are you sure?", "Yeah! I'm positive". Self-deprecating humor Self-deprecating or self-effacing humor gives us the ability to laugh at ourselves; to make fun of our human foibles and maintain a sense of perspective. It is also powerful in defusing confrontations. Cultural examples Jewish culture includes a strong strain of self-deprecating humor. The egalitarian tradition was strong among the Jewish communities of Eastern Europe in which the powerful were often mocked subtly. Prominent members of the community were kidded during social gatherings, part a good-natured tradition of humor as a leveling device. Examples can be found at Jewish Humor . Another class of self-deprecating jokes are told by folk of Scandinavian heritage about their own. This self-effacing humor comes, at least in part, from the strongly egalitarian sense permeating the cultural code in the Nordic Countries . It was brought to America by emigrants from these countries, who frowned upon attempts to appear to elevate oneself or claim to be better or smarter than others. Examples can be found at Ole And Lena . Another variation, popular in Texas , is the "Aggie joke", where the character involves a student from Texas A&M University . Many of the punchlines are those involved in "dumb blonde" or other self-deprecating jokes. A variant is the "Aggie Strikes Back" joke, where the Aggie is the hero, usually at the expense of a "T-Sipper" (a student at the arch-rival University Of Texas At Austin ). Political uses Self-deprecating humor has long been used by politicians, who recognize its ability to acknowledge controversial issues and steal the punch of criticism. Examples abound. Abraham Lincoln was accused of being two-faced. Lincoln replied, “If I had two faces, do you think this is the one I’d be wearing?” President John Kennedy once read a fake telegram from his rich father, "Jack, Don't spend one dime more than is necessary. I'll be damned if I am going to pay for a landslide." This effectively stole the power of the accusation that his campaign was largely financed by his father. Ronald Reagan’s most powerful tool was his self-deprecating humor. When his advanced age was used against him by Senator Mondale during the 1984 campaign, intentionally misunderstanding he quipped, "I will not make age an issue of this campaign. I am not going to exploit, for political purposes, my opponent's youth and inexperience." Question–answer Often posed as a common riddle, the answer is twisted humorously.
:A1: A Newspaper . (The oldest and most common answer, because ''red'' is also the pronunciation of ''read''; this class of joke works only when spoken aloud so that which Homophone is meant is misconstrued because of the inclusion of other colors. This is also related to Word Play .) :A2: An embarrassed Zebra . (This is funny primarily because most people are familiar with the older joke and expect the interpretation to be "read" rather than "red." It is one of the most common "twist" answers, because it's one of the few G-rated ones. See ''Why did the chicken cross the road?'' elsewhere on this page for more instances of the same phenomenon.) :A3: A bloody skunk. (A penguin, a nun, or any likely wearer of a tuxedo can also be used in place of a skunk. Also "sunburnt" can be used in place of "bloody.") :A4: A nun/penguin/business man in a blender. :A5: Two nuns/penguins/business men having a chainsaw fight. :A6: A nun/penguin/business man rolling down a hill. ...and so on.
:A: Lampost Of this type are Knock-knock Joke , Lightbulb Joke , Grape Joke , Radio Yerevan , and some jokes of other types described here. Why did the chicken cross the road? :Q: Why did the Chicken cross the road? :A: To get to the other side. Although perhaps the most famous of all jokes in the English language, this joke is a Non-joke , in that its humor value comes from the fact that it is ''expected'' to be funny. Additionally, it is rarely told on its own, but instead is referenced, modified, or parodied in a number of other jokes.
:Q: Why did the turkey cross the road? :A: Because the chicken was on vacation. :Q: Why did the chicken cross the road in Texas? :A: To show the Armadillo / Opossum how it's done. :Q: Why did the chicken cross the Möbius Strip ? :A: To get to the same side. :Q: Why did the chicken cross the road? :A: Because it was too far to go around. In the film '' Stripes '' (done in march cadence): :Bill Murray: Why did the chicken cross the road? :(Platoon): To get from the left to the right! Sometimes it is juxtaposed with another category of humor: Blonde Joke : :Q: Why did the blonde cross the road? :A: Because the chicken told her to! Elephant jokes Usually a Riddle of the form "Why did the elephant...?", where the answer is ridiculously impossible. Often they are told in series, with later jokes making reference to, or even depending on, previous ones. =Examples :Q: Why did the elephant cross the road? :A: Because it was stuck to the chicken because of the law of absorption. :Q: How do you fit an elephant through a back door/any small rectangular door? :A: Stick it in an envelope and slide it under the crack. :Part one Q: How do you fit four elephants in a Volkswagen ? :A: Two in the front seat, two in the back. :Part two Q: How do you tell if there's an elephant in your refrigerator? :A: There are footprints in the peanut butter. :Part three Q: How do you tell if there are two elephants in your refrigerator? :A: There are ''two'' sets of footprints in the peanut butter. :Part four Q: How do you tell if there are ''three'' elephants in your refrigerator? :A: The door won't close. :Part five Q: How do you tell if there are ''four'' elephants in your refrigerator? :A: There's a Volkswagen parked out back. :Part one Q: How do you put an elephant in a refrigerator? :A: Open the door, put the elephant in, close the door. :Part two Q: How do you put a giraffe in a refrigerator? :A: Open the door, take the elephant out, put the giraffe in, close the door. :Part three Q: The lion, king of the jungle calls a conference in the forest. Which animal is not present? :A: The giraffe: it is in the fridge where you left it. :Part four Q: Two explorers are crossing a crocodile-infested swamp. How do they get across safely? :A: The crocodiles are at the conference in the forest. “What’s the Difference” jokes The joke is set up with the question "What's the difference between things that have apparently nothing in common ?", and the punch line is a Pun or Spoonerism in the form "One is (…) and the other is (…)." =Examples The set up: “What’s the difference between… :1. A Pulitzer Prize writer and a Utah carpenter?” :a. "One is Norman Mailer , and :b. One is a Mormon Nailer". The teller can optionally omit the "...and the other one is..." half to allow the listener to apply the Spoonerism himself. This can enhance the impact of the joke, as well as allow the teller to avoid using Off-color language in an all-ages setting. For example, author Daniel Handler was heard to tell the following "difference" jokes at a Seattle charity function in 2005: :Q: What's the difference between a blind sharpshooter and a constipated owl? :A: The blind sharpshooter shoots but cannot hit. :Q: What's the difference between a preacher at his pulpit and a woman in the tub? :A: The preacher's soul is full of hope. Occasionally, the comic effect is based on role reversal or a false difference: :2. What's the difference between :a. One is a flaming Nazi gas bag, and the other was a Dirigible . Sometimes the comic effect is derived from the confusion over a non-sensical version of the joke: :3. What's the difference between a duck? :a. One of its legs are both the same! :4. What's the difference between a duck? :a. Because a snake has no armpits! Also, some jokes give the opposite answer than expected: :Q: What's the difference between Michael Jackson and a ghost? :A: One's pale and scares kids during the night, and the other's a spook. Jokes that require two people These are Double Act jokes that need a Straight Man to give a predictable response to the person telling the joke. :Person 1: My dog has got no nose :Person 2: How does he smell? :Person 1: Awful. :Person 1: Did you hear about that actress who got stabbed? Reese... Reese something. :Person 2: Witherspoon ? :Person 1: No, with her knife. A significant subset of this kind of joke, Geography Joke s, is based around puns with geographical names. =Examples :1: I stubbed my foot on a recent visit to an Indonesian volcano. :2: Krakatoa ? (Crack a toe-a?) :1: Yeah, bloody painful it was. :1: I had some dodgy ungulate cuisine when I was last in Pakistan. :2: Islamabad ? (Is llama bad?) :1: Tough as old boots. :1: The wife and I took a caravan holiday to Poole. :2: In Dorset ? (Endorse it?) :1: Yes, I'd thoroughly recommend it. Dirty jokes Humor in ''dirty jokes'' is based on Taboo , e.g., Sex ual, content or vocabulary. Many dirty jokes are also sexist. Many jokes from other categories are dirty. The effect of the dirty joke may be enhanced by the addition of further taboos, as in the subgenre of ''nun jokes''.
Another subgenre is that of unmet expectations, in which the joke is the ''absence'' of the dirty content which the audience has been led to expect in one way or another.
This joke is funny because the last word of the second line is expected to rhyme with the last word of the first. In such jokes, a dramatic pause is usually made before the Punch Word ("fist", in this case). Similarly:
Another example is this:
In this joke, the second person expects to hear a joke like the nun joke earlier on this page, but instead the first person says they fell in the mud, which would make them dirty. A variant of this joke relates to the Japanese. Person 1: What do you call a Japanese who falls in the mud? Person 2: What? Person 1: A dirty Jap. This is in reference to the discriminating name many Japanese were called during WWII. Sick jokes A subgenre of jokes derives their humor simply from violating taboos and being so blatantly offensive in their subject matter that (for some) the situation becomes funny, not macabre. One example of such a joke is The Aristocrats , which dates back to Vaudeville . The phrase "sick jokes" appeared in the ''New York Times'' on October 9 , 1958 , when a football columnist noted that "those macabre 'sick jokes' that appeal to the younger generation are popping up in football quotes." An October 26 article on ''How These Joke Cycles Start,'' indicates that the "sick joke" genre was already well in progress. The columnist gives an example: :Child: "Mommy, when are we going to reach Europe?" :Mother: "Shut up and keep swimming." He states that "This body of humor first crawled out from under a stone in London five years ago when several British actors outlined plans for a never-to-be-produced show called ''The Bad Taste Review.''" In 1959 a Times columnist opined that "the tide of 'sick jokes' may be ebbing but Tom Lehrer 's 'sick songs' are still at flood." Tragedy jokes A morbid type of joke, "gallows humor", that makes fun of tragic situations, either a disaster or to an individual. Some examples include the many jokes that circulated about the Space Shuttle Challenger Disaster ; the fatal auto accident of Princess Diana ; and the September 11, 2001 Attacks . While offensive on their face, such jokes can also be a coping mechanism. The clue to that theory is that the jokes around the Challenger usually centered around the one civilian, Christa McAuliffe , whose loss was presumably the most keenly felt by the general public. Example: Q: Why did Christa McAuliffe not take a shower before the launch? A: She said she would wash up on the beach later. Dead body jokes The 1980s and 1990s saw the vogue of the "dead body" joke, a subject which would usually be considered the opposite of "funny." A fair number of the jokes are derivations of each other, told in sequence for maximum effect. Others derive their humor from the implication that the teller knows from personal experience. The jokes took a new, more offensive, twist in the 1980s by changing "dead body" to "dead '''baby'''." Like most jokes, they are funnier when they are told rather than read: :Q: How do you get a dozen dead babies into a bowl? :A: Use a blender. :Q: How do you get them out? :A: Tortilla chips. :Q: How do you make a dead baby float? :A1: A glass of root beer, two scoops of ice cream, and a scoop of dead baby. :A2: Take your Foot off its head. :A3: A glass of carbonated soda and 2 scoops of dead baby. A variant on this is the Leper joke: :Q: Why did the leper go back into the shower? :A: He forgot his Head And Shoulders . Little Johnny jokes ''Main article: Little Johnny .'' Jaimito, Mexican Pepito, Colombian Juanito and Benito, Portuguese and Brazilian Joãozinho, Russia n Vovochka , Czech Pepíček, Italian Pierino, Estonian Juku, Slovenian Janezek, German Fritzchen, Greek Totós (Τοτóς), Finnish Pikku-Kalle, Croatian Ivica, Hungarian Móricka, Romanian Bula, Dutch Jantje, French Toto, Polish Jasiu and Indian Chintu.
Ethnic jokes Ethnic humor is particular to a certain ethnic group or culture and may or may not be the same as an ''ethnic joke''. An ethnic joke relies for humorous effect on peculiarities of a particular ethnicity, real or imaginary. Many of them rely on Stereotype s about particular Ethnicities , often those from different (neighbour) Nation s or Minorities . For example, Finns tell jokes about Swedes and Gypsies . People in Ireland tell jokes about people from County Kerry , while people from Kerry tell jokes about people from County Cork . Sometimes they are considered in good taste, meant to poke fun at or about another culture, while other times they are considered offensive or Racist . Sometimes the difference between the two judgements is in the nature of the joke, and sometimes the difference is in the perception of those hearing it. In an attempt to preserve the humor of ethnic jokes without their derogatory nature, on rare occasions such jokes are told with the word ''ethnic'' (or the even more generic ''moron'') or some variant in place of the nationality of the subject. For example: "Two ethnics are out duck hunting. They hunt and hunt and hunt and still have not killed one duck. Finally, ethnic #1 says to ethnic #2, 'Maybe we'd do better if we threw the dog up higher.'" Another twist is letting people of that same target group enjoy a monopoly on telling jokes about themselves. Many ethnic jokes appear in several cultures with nothing changed except the group being disparaged. For example, many American jokes are about Canadians or Poles , Canadian jokes about Newfoundlanders , British jokes about the Irish , Iranian jokes about Turks in Iran Australia n jokes about the British and New Zealand ers, New Zealand jokes about Australians, Brazil ian jokes about the Portuguese , Portuguese jokes about both the Brazilian and Africa n people, especially Mozambican and Angola n people, Russian jokes about Chukchi , Greek jokes about Pontian Greeks , India n jokes about Sikh s are identical except for the ethnic group which is the subject of the joke. A traditional British form of ethnic joke starts "An Englishman, an Irishman, and a Scotsman..." (sometimes called Paddy the Englishman, Paddy the Scotsman and Paddy the Irishman in Irish versions of the joke; Paddy the Irishman generally delivers the Punch Line ) and may go on to make fun of any of the three by comparison with the other two. Very similar form exists in Russian humor, where the lackadaisical Russian guy is portrayed against two other nationalities from a small stereotype subset, e.g. French for amorousness, Chukchi for naive simplicity, German for prudishness, Georgian for brute virility, Ukrainian for greed, etc. A notable case is " for more. Asia n languages and names have been subject to puns like: "Hu Yu Hai Ding: We have reason to believe you are harboring a fugitive"; "Wai Yu Shao Ting: There is no reason to raise your voice". Examples :An Englishman, an Irishman and a Scotsman all order a beer in a pub. The Englishman's beer has a fly in it, so he orders a new one. The Irishman's beer also has a fly in it, so he picks it up and flicks it away. The Scotsman's beer also has a fly in it, so he picks it up and shouts, "Alright yah wee fucker, spit it out!" :How do Asian parents name their children? They throw Silverware down the stairs. (a reference to names like "Wong", "Ping", "Dong", "Chang") :- What do you call three white people pushing a car up a hill? :- White Power . :- What do you call three Hispanics pushing a car up a hill? :- Grand Theft Auto . :- What do you call two chinamen ringing a church bell? :- Ding Dong See also Sexist jokes A ''sexist joke'' is one that expresses the Sexist belief that one Gender or Sex is somehow superior to the other. These are usually told nowadays in conjunction with the Sick Joke category, meaning that they are not intended to be funny because the speaker holds that opinion, but that they are funny for the shock value. Examples :Q: Why did God invent yeast infections? :A: So that women too would know what it's like to live with an irritating cunt! :Q: A woman gets hit by a car. Whose fault is it? :A1: It's the woman's fault - what was she doing not skinning the chicken? :A2: It's the driver's fault for driving into a chicken! :If women cared as much about their lefts as they do their Rights , they'd be much better drivers. :Q: Why couldn't Helen Keller drive? :A: Because she was a woman! (This last joke can be considered funny for two reasons; the sexism's shock value, and the surprise factor, as the listener is expecting a disability joke punchline; see below.) A Henny Youngman classic:
Disability jokes Some jokes make fun of Disabilities or people with disabilities. Many such jokes refer to Helen Keller, who was Deaf , Blind and Mute . The subject in the jokes referring to blindness is often another famous blind person, such as Stevie Wonder . Examples :Q: How did Helen Keller's parents punish her? :A: They rearranged the furniture! :Q: Why did nobody hear her? :A: She was wearing mittens. :Q: What did Helen Keller say after running her hands over a cheese grater? :A: That was the most violent book I ever read. Less offensive versions Sometimes, jokes that may be considered racist and sexist, and they can be adapted in such a way as to remove the offensive content. This is especially true when the specific race or sex is portrayed as incredibly stupid. In these cases, they may be told involving a Blonde or a generic "stupid person" instead of the race or sex in question. When a trait besides intellect is the topic of the joke, a less offensive adaptation may still be possible. Take, for example, this joke: :Q: A Jewish man has an Erection , and he runs right into a brick wall. What does he say? :A: "Ow, My nose!" In this form, the joke is reliant on the stereotype of Jewish men having large noses. However, if the man is replaced with Cyrano De Bergerac (or Severus Snape ), the humor remains intact without the use of racial stereotypes. Blonde jokes ''Main article: Blonde Jokes .'' Blonde jokes are a class of Jokes which make light of the stereotype of the blonde woman (or, more rarely, blond man) as unintelligent, sexually promiscuous, or both. Like all humor based on stereotypes, blonde jokes are found offensive by some people. However, they tend not to be as controversial as Racial Humor or other forms of Dark Comedy . Many are, in fact, variations on racist jokes that have been adapted specifically to make them less offensive. A British variant of the blonde joke is the Essex girl joke, which became popular in the late 1980s, and satirizes working-class girls from the county of Essex . Jokes about animals Jokes about animals have signs of Fable . The animals, which live in the forest, behave like humans. They are depicted with human properties. A Fox is usually clever, a Bear strong, and a Hare astute and cheeky. Example
Shaggy dog stories and the Monk Joke A Shaggy Dog Story is an extremely long and involved joke with a weak or completely nonexistent punchline. The humor lies in building up the audience's anticipation and then letting them down completely. Shaggy jokes appear to date from the 1930s, although there are several competing variants for the "original" shaggy dog story. According to one, an advertisement is placed in a newspaper, searching for the shaggiest dog in the world. The teller of the joke then relates the story of the search for the shaggiest dog in extreme and exaggerated detail (flying around the world, climbing mountains, fending off sabre-toothed tigers, etc); a good teller will be able to stretch the story out to over half an hour. When the winning dog is finally presented, the advertiser takes a look at the dog and states: "I don't think he's so shaggy". The Monk joke is another joke which is only humorous for the teller. It usually starts with an explorer coming across a monastery where he hears a beautiful sound, and asks a monk what is making the sound. The monk then explains to the man that he is not allowed to tell him, because he is not a monk. Similarly to the shaggy dog joke, the narrator then jumps into an extremely lengthy story about the man's struggle to become a monk and find out what makes the sound, which he always succeeds in towards the end of the story. The puzzled audience will then ask what made the sound, to which the narrator will reply, "I can't tell you, you're not a monk!" You have two cows A large number of jokes, beginning " You Have Two Cows ...", describe what would be done with the cows under a certain political or economic system. The jokes satirize many countries, television shows, religions, and systems, especially bureaucracy, communism, and capitalism. Examples
Duck jokes Duck jokes are a particular breed of animal jokes that almost invariably begin, "A duck walks into a bar...." The followup can be as simple as "...and said, 'Ow, that hurts!'" or as complex as this very old joke: ''A duck walks into a bar. The bartender is a bit surprised as the duck hops onto the bar and asks, "Do you have any grapes?" The bartender says, "I'm sorry, sir, but we don't." Dejected, the duck hops off the bar and waddles out. The next night, the very same duck walks into the bar. He hops onto the bar and asks, "Do you have any grapes?" The bartender shouts, "Look, Duck, I told you last night that we don't have any grapes! Now get out of here, and if you come back tomorrow night and ask for grapes, I'll nail your beak to the bar with a hammer!" Terrified, the duck scampers out of the bar. The next night, the bartender warily eyes the door as the duck walks into the bar. The duck carefully climbs onto the bar and asks, "Do you have a hammer?" The bartender shouts, "No! Of course I don't have a hammer!" So the duck asks, "Do you have any grapes?" '' Or this one: ''A duck walked into an apothecary and said, "Give me some chapstick, and put it on my bill!"'' Religion in jokes There are many categories of jokes on religious subjects.
Why did Jesus cross the road? Because he was nailed to the chicken! The magazine '' The Door '' describes itself as "The World's Pretty Much Only Religious Satire Magazine." Readers of Ship Of Fools realise this is a bit of a joke. Dad Jokes According to Australian media personality Richard Glover , Dad Jokes are a special form of humour. "They're marked by two distinctive features: a) not funny in the first place and b) become even less funny via endless repetition."
External links Book jokes Book jokes are a type of joke in which you make up a book title, and then make an author that sounds like a word, or set of words, that relates to the title. For instance; My Life of Crime by Robin Banks, or How I Fell off the Cliff by Ilean Dover. Also, book jokes could be used to a more pop-culture perspective by titling the book to a celebrity that would never write a book like that and sometimes putting them under a category together. For instance: Shortest Book Ever Written- My Book of Morals by Bill Clinton or The Amish People's Phone Book. Other classes of jokes
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