Monday, January 21, 2013

If nobody gets it, it's probably not funny

Before I escape now from the world of Omega Warzard, I would like to resolve one last potential hanging dangly.

If you've been reading since near the beginning, you may recall one of my earlier posts "The Wall," in which I detailed a joke I had made that had, to my chagrin, so clearly sailed over the head of a coworker. I won't make you reread that ancient post; here's the entirety of our exchange reprinted:

Random co-worker: Why's it always so damn hard?
Me: Has it been longer than four hours?
Random co-worker: Hungry?

In the original post, I expressed some frustration, not only in this case but in general, that my witticisms were of such a high level (read: obscure) that not only did people often not understand them, but they would not understand that I had made a witticism at all. Typically, in the best-case scenario, they would simply move on without dwelling on it, and then my joke would be lost in the ether, wasted. The worst-case scenario would be that they would actually hear my remark clearly but not comprehend its cleverness and instead think I had said something nonsensical and therefore stupid. Well, okay, maybe the worst-case scenario is that they do get the joke but simply do not find it funny. You'll note, in any case, that, in all three of these most common outcomes, they never actually respond with any kind of acknowledgment of the joke, and so I won't even know whether they got it or not. That's the frustrating part, I suppose - not knowing, when they don't laugh or offer a rejoinder, whether it's because they missed it entirely, because they didn't quite get it, or because they simply didn't care for it. And I certainly am not the sort of person to double-down with unasked for explanations of my own jokes (although I very often wish someone would ask). Why, is there anything more pathetic than one hoping that explaining one's joke will somehow earn that laugh that the joke itself failed to get?

Moving along, since I never actually explained my joke in the original post, allow me to explain it now. I know nobody asked for an explanation, but there were also no comments that read "haha" or "good one, bro," which leads me to believe that nobody got it, but that everybody was just too embarrassed to admit that they didn't understand the joke. Because, let me assure you, once I explain and you understand it, you'll be LOL-ing out loud.

So, you see, when my coworker asks, "Why's it always so damn hard?" the "it" he is referring to is life. But I spun it to instead refer to his erection, my response "Has it been longer than four hours?" referencing those Viagra ads that warned users to consult a doctor for erections lasting longer than four hours. Mind you, he did not actually, as far as I know, have an erection; the humor was in my deliberately misconstruing his words and thereby drawing incorrect and unflattering conclusions regarding his penile state.

Joke explained. Cue LOL-ing.

And that's all, folks!

2 comments:

Czardoz said...

But I had already gotten the joke!

Henry said...

Then where was your comment "ROFLMAO-ing out loud"? Or maybe "virtual high-five"? Honestly, I'm not sure you really get it.