Jokes and Joking --- I am bad at them

[KazeCraven]

I assume the following will be completely alien to you, but here it is:

I am bad at sustaining a joke. In fact, I joke so very little that on rare occasion that I do, it is not interpreted as a joke. Don't get me wrong: I can be funny, but joking is a strict no-no. Conversely, I dislike situations where I can't tell if statements were intended as a joke or not.

I wonder if this is because I don't entertain speculation on illogical situations. I do find threads about nonsense somewhat amusing, but... yeah.

Does everyone else disagree? I'd be lying if I said I thought I was unique in this regard, but I'll wager that most everyone would disagree.

Also, I searched and found no threads about Joking or Jokes in general, so I thought it needed its own thread.

 

[ApostateAbe]

When I joke, it often falls flat. But, a minority of the time, I hit a homer, which makes it all worth it (I think).

 

[Adymus]

I used to be terrible with jokes in highschool, the delivery would just be so bad that nobody actually knew that it was meant to be a joke.

I got better overtime. I still do a lot of deadpan humor, but I'm doing something differently that actually works now. It might just be the kind of energy I am projecting.

I have to say though, I actually love illogical/nonsensical humor, if you catch me laughing to myself it will probably be about some random nonsensical speculation that my Ne was having a field day on.

 

[KazeCraven]

Hard to say if I agree or disagree on the last point. I'm usually laughing at seeing something from a different perspective or taking something out of context such that it becomes nonsense.

But then it would seem strange if I verbalized that humor, and I would have difficulty doing it justice. I could articulate why I laughed, sure, but it would of the form "I imagined that we did a correlational test to determine whether or not height was inversely proportional to intelligence." rather than, "I've been studying our class and I've started seeing a pattern. Let me know what you think of this idea..."

 

[bloozie]

Joking calms my nerves down. Plus it's fun getting other people to laugh and smile most of the time even though I'm sure some of what I say goes over their heads...

 

[Inappropriate Behavior]

Conversely, I dislike situations where I can't tell if statements were intended as a joke or not.

You would so hate me in person. I love to deadpan people and leave them wondering if I was serious or not. I find it hysterical to watch that look on people's faces as they try to figure out if I'm actually serious. There's that moment of fear in their eyes that is just so funny. I do tell them eventually and I don't always do it. Just often enough.

 

[warryer]

It really depends on who I am with. If its with people who don't really know my strange style then its going to fall flat most of the time.

If its with friends I usually can get a laugh. But maybe they are just being nice? I did have some girl say to her friend, "see? he can make anything funny!"

My style of humor is pointing out to people the ridiculous-ness everyday things are. Then paint an extremely exaggerated picture either by words or acting.

 

[KazeCraven]

You would so hate me in person. I love to deadpan people and leave them wondering if I was serious or not. I find it hysterical to watch that look on people's faces as they try to figure out if I'm actually serious. There's that moment of fear in their eyes that is just so funny. I do tell them eventually and I don't always do it. Just often enough.

Yes I would. I typically defer to them being serious, and if they then reply "I was just joking" I usually just frown and go about my business. Now that I know it's part of the game, I know what card to play. This has been somewhat helpful.

 

[Inappropriate Behavior]

Yes I would. I typically defer to them being serious, and if they then reply "I was just joking" I usually just frown and go about my business. Now that I know it's part of the game, I know what card to play. This has been somewhat helpful.

Please take no offense, but that would be what I would call 'a mark'. I would probably target you. I can be such a dick

 

[KazeCraven]

Fuck you. (I mean that in the colloquial sense, not the "I'm going to kill you now" sense).

This is probably why I don't joke around. I hate it so much, it makes no sense for me to engage in the same act.

 

[Inappropriate Behavior]

And yet your response is funny!

 

[KazeCraven]

Actually, I'm starting to think that this will be the best tactic for me.

Usually I do my best not to offend other people, but jokers like offensive/argumentative situations. Therefore I can find people to be antagonistic around while respecting the feelings of others without having to 'meltdown' when someone like you comes along.

You may have won the battle...

 

[Inappropriate Behavior]

This may be easier said than done but all you really need do is give back what's given to you. That's of course if you wish to engage and not meltdown or ignore.

 

[KazeCraven]

Hmmm, sounds too simple to be effective, but maybe.

 

[Inappropriate Behavior]

People who joke around a lot are looking for others to joke around with most of the time. Giving it back is appreciated.

 

[sardonic-tea]

Wow that's strange, because either all I'm doing is joking (or subtly being sarcastic about everything) or I'm pretty withdrawn and indifferent with most conversations.

 

[Death]

My primary method of telling jokes is of course by using graphs and number theory but finding people who knows both is such a tedious task.

 

[warryer]

IB has a point. When I joke around with people, its kind of used as a filter to decide which people are worth getting to know better. If people can keep the joke going or sling it back in my face then I am more likely to become friends with that person. (It takes intelligence to understand and make sarcastic comments).

Do you like stand up comedy? I definitely do. I think a really good comedian is able to twist in turn in ways that the audience would never expect.

Kaze the person you are painting yourself to be is the kind of person who gets targeted. I can get like this sometimes, I have to willfully put myself into the not serious attitude.

I think you have two choice: learn to deal with it (oh, here we go again... sigh) or play along. Both are perfectly valid responses. One or the other is better depending on the situation.

....so Kaze, have you and IB discussed which one of you two is going to wear the dress to the wedding?

 

[Inappropriate Behavior]

Dress, pants, as long as I get to go commando I really don't care. All I want is a drive-in Vegas wedding.

 

[KazeCraven]

...so Kaze, have you and IB discussed which one of you two is going to wear the dress to the wedding?

I don't mind wearing the dress, so long as I'm not the one up at the altar.


By the way, does taking the joke literally count as playing along? If so, I think I can manage.

And I... can't remember a stand up comedy I liked. They say funny things sometimes, but nothing ever terribly funny.

 

[Inappropriate Behavior]

By the way, does taking the joke literally count as playing along? If so, I think I can manage.

That's a good question. It depends on what you do next. If you are not certain if the other is joking, I would suggest nodding sagely, stroking your chin perhaps, saying "hmmmmm" and then getting the other to expand on the premise. If it's a joke, he probably doesn't have anything else (unless he's really really good) in which case, now you know.

 

[KazeCraven]

I do think warryer is right in saying that you have a point. This perspective has a great deal of explanatory power in looking at the history of my life.

Although, I can already see how my 'new' tactic would fail miserably (taking things literally). Let's take the above joke for example "which one of you two is going to wear the dress to the wedding?" If I give any of the following answers:

'what wedding?'
'No, I don't know what you are talking about.'
'I'm not getting married.'
'Why would either of us need to wear a dress?'

I assume further joking would commence, with me either being in denial or something of that nature. However, if I said (and this took quite a lot of analysis for me to think of this)
"What happened to the other dress?"

the annoyance might go away. At least I know that some response is better than no response, but it will all be a painful battle of trial and error, as is all social development.

 

[KazeCraven]

Hmmm, yes. This should be a good idea. Perhaps for those who, like me, have difficulty with jokes, I shall start a class called "Joke Class." For clarification, the subtitle will be "How to take a joke."

Ah yes, the blind teaching the blind.

 

[Xel]

Start with puns, work your way up through bathroom humor, jokes about chickens crossing roads and religious figures at bars,slapstick, sarcasm, irony, until you reach comedy nirvana with Pythonesque comedy.

 

[IzlaRoza]

My sense of humor is usually underappreciated. I make alot of subliminal shots at people and they laugh, but i can tell that they didnt entirely get the joke as it was intended.
I joke about alot of things that are meant to be "serious matters" (death, special ceremonies, school, work, this thing we call "reality"etc)

Im very sarcastic and use my analytical side to reduce reality down to nothing to the point it becomes humorous.