A Riddle about Riddles
I wrote these jokes to make a point.
Version 1
—Knock knock.
—Who’s there?
—Death.
—Death who?
—Does it really matter?
Version 2
—Knock knock.
—Who’s there?
—Death.
—Death who?
—Ultimately, it makes little difference in what form death arrives or by what name we call it. We all go one way or another and while there may be more dignity in some manners of demise, more time to prepare, or less suffering, the ultimate destination couldn’t be more similar: gone and gone and gone forever.
For me, they’re both funny (for you, maybe neither), but for different reasons. Version 1 is funny because it’s quick to point out a universal absurdity. Version 2 is funny because it gets the tone of a knock-knock joke so spectacularly wrong.
In Version 1 we laugh at ourselves for caring what kind of death is knocking. In Version 2 we laugh at the form the joke takes. I think that makes Version 2 a meta-joke, a joke about jokiness.
But that wasn’t my point.
My point was there is usually a way to say what you mean that is perfectly appropriate to your intentions, sometimes more than one, but always many, many, many, many, many ways to get the tone all wrong and spoil the effect you were going for, usually by falling for ready-made language or by overwriting what could be written simply.
My point is that when the chicken crosses the road to get to the other side we laugh at the well-made joke. We laugh at how badly the joke gets it wrong when the chicken crosses the road to find itself in sudden and much-valued possession of some other-sidedness.
Which sort of jokes are you writing (Version 1 or Version 2)?
Which sort of jokes are these?:
—How many licensed electricians does it take to screw in a lightbulb?
—Just one.
—How can you tell the difference between an oral thermometer and a rectal thermometer?
—The taste.
Exercise for the Leave a Reply fields below:
Write a joke that gets the tone so wrong that it either dies on the spot or is funny precisely because it upends our expectations.
And if you can’t do that in the time available, just share a good (or amusingly bad) joke.
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Counterintuitive Fall 2022 
Why did susie fall off the swing? Because she has no arms
What do you call a joe with no shoes?
ShoelessJoe.
Bad joke
What did the triangle say to the circle?
-nothing. Triangles can’t talk
Good joke that most people still think is bad but I think is funny
What did the triangle say to the circle?
-you’re pointless
True story here:
At my mom’s funeral my friend looked at her urn and said, “I know she was shorter but how did you guys fit her in there?”
I then proceeded to give her eulogy as a standup routine.
What do you call a cow with no legs?
Ground beef.
Hah…
Most ones I think are ‘amusingly’ bad are most ‘dad’ jokes. Such as
I don’t trust stairs. They are always up to something.
Knock Knock.
Who’s there?
Mr.Mailman.
Mr.Mailman who?
I am the person who walks around town and gives you the wrong mail every single day. I am not happy with my job nor will I ever be.
A guy asks a girl to prom. They get all dressed up, he picks out a tie to match her red dress and rents a limo for them. They arrive at the dance, she tells him “I want some punch.” So he goes and waits in line for a long time to get her some punch. He gets to the front of the line and its the hotdog line. He goes to another line and waits. He gets to the front it’s the popcorn line. He is very frustrated. He waits in one more line before returning to his date. He gets to the front of that line and there is soda. He says to the man handing out soda “Where is the punch line?” The man says “There is no punchline.’’
Ha Ha Ha.
Why can’t dinosaurs clap?
Because they’re dead.
What do sprinters eat before a race? Nothing. They fast.
What does a DJ name their kid? Er-ic. 🙂
A priest decides he’s fed up with his old car. So he goes to a dealership and finds a salesman.
The salesman notices the cross around the priest’s neck and asks,
“Are you, by chance, a man of God, sir?”.
The priest proudly says
“Why yes I am!”.
“Well then,” says the salesman “I think I’ve got just the car for you!”
So the priest follows the salesman into the garage and sees a breathtaking, majestic, white car with a golden cross hood ornament.
“Wow!” says the priest, “It’s beautiful!”
“Yep, she’s a pretty one.” says the salesman, “And you won’t even need a key. She’s voice activated. To make her start, you say ‘Hallelujah’ and to make her stop, you say ‘Amen’.
In love with the car, the priest buys it and enjoys every second in his new ride. He takes every chance he gets to drive it.
One night, driving home after a long week visiting his family, the priest begins to drift into sleep. Trying to stay awake on the dark, empty road, he takes a wrong turn but doesn’t notice.
Suddenly, he jolts awake! He’s speeding down a hill and at the end of it is a huge, gaping chasm in the middle of the road!
The priest slams the brakes, but they do nothing! Terrified, he prays to his God, pleading with everything he has for his protection. When he finishes his prayer, the car jolts to a stop, inches away from certain death.
Overjoyed that God had answered his prayers the priest exclaims “Hallelujah!”
What’s black and white and rolling down a hill?
A black and white ball.
What do you call a pig that knows karate? pork chop
What do you call a seagull that fly’s over the bay? A bagel
Whats brown and sticky?
a stick.
What’s the best thing about Switzerland? I don’t know, but the flag is a big plus.
What’s worse than a 13 kids stuck in 1 tree?
A one kid stuck in 13 trees.
man typo
What do you call security guards working outside Samsung shops ?
– Guardians of the galaxy.
What’s red and bad for your teeth?
A Brick