Category Archives: Humor

Twist on Known saying

Text: “If at first you don’t succeed, hide all evidence that you tried”

Context: My informant is a friend of mine who first heard this proverb from her older sister. She said when she first heard it, and how it put a clever twist to the known saying: “if at first you don’t succeed, try, try again”, she began sharing it with her friends, and repeating it whenever someone would bring up the original saying.

Analysis: While the proverb is fairly simple, and meant to be a humorous way to subvert a listener’s expectations, it has some interesting interpretations. Replacing the motivational message to never give up with the idea of hiding that one ever tried, appeals to a person’s desire for ease and comfort. While most would agree trying again is usually best, there is usually a desire to take the easy way out, which the proverb pokes fun at.

Italian Chef Joke

Text: “Did you hear about the Italian chef who died? He pasta way”

Context: My informant is a friend of mine who first heard this joke when it was told to him and his friend “a few years back”. My friend says that while he didn’t immediately find it very funny, his friend thought it was so funny he began crying laughing. Since then, my friend says this cheesy pun has become an inside joke that always gets them laughing despite how unfunny they may find the original line.

Analysis: I find it interesting how a joke my friend found to be unfunny can become one that continuously gets him laughing simply because of the reaction of someone around him. I think this shows a somewhat unintentional yet crucial aspect of the jokes we tell. While on the surface level they are intended to get a laugh, the ultimate goal is to bring people together, which this joke definitely succeeded in.

Boo Who Knock Knock Joke

Nationality: American
Primary Language: English
Age: 19
Occupation: Student
Residence: Los Angeles, CA
Performance Date: 02/20/2024

Text:

Person 1: Knock knock

Person 2: Who’s there?

Person 1: Boo

Person 2: Boo who?

Person 1: No need to cry it was just a knock knock joke!

Context:

This is a knock knock joke the informant learned from her older sister, when she was 7. She rememberers being confused, and not understanding the joke until a few weeks later, when her mom explained it to her. At this point in her elementary experience, knock knock jokes were quite popular, and the informant remembers telling the kids in her class the day after the joke was explained to her. While knock knock jokes are less popular in the informants day-to-day college life, she still uses it when called for.

Analysis:

This knock knock joke is one that I heard in my childhood, and one that I have seen on social media as well. While it was more common around Halloween, I heard it year round. Knock knock jokes are a common and diverse form of joke because they are quick, easy, and easily adaptable. This speaks to a popular function of jokes – for a quick laugh. To the same extent, knock knock jokes quickly travel and spread as they are normally told in bursts (ie. children competing to see who has a better joke). This joke is particularly funny because it does not require a deep level of intelligence to understand, and is a quick and easy joke.

Roses-Are-Red Poem

Nationality: American
Primary Language: English
Age: 18
Occupation: Student
Residence: Los Angeles, CA
Performance Date: 02/21/2024

Text:

Roses are red
Violets are blue
A face like yours
Belongs in the zoo
Don’t be mad, I’ll be there too
Not in a cage, but laughing at you

Context:

This is a saying that the informant heard from her older brother, when he was 10 and she was 5. She remembers being overjoyed when she heard this iteration of the “roses are red, violets are blue, sugar is sweet, and so are you” saying because she thought it was far more interesting. She was also very glad that there was a version of the saying that was no longer expressly romantic, but was rather a coded insult. After she learned the phrase from her brother, she proceeded to say it to numerous boys in her grade, while also instructing her friends to spread it as well.

Analysis:

This was really interesting to hear, because this is not a version of the classic “roses are red” poem that I have heard before! This type of poem was quite common, and even today I continue to hear new versions. However, this was a creative version I was not expecting to hear. As the informant said, it was a departure from the status quo of roses-are-red poems because is meant to be an insult, rather than a compliment. In my experience, these jokes are told mainly in elementary school and middle school, and this one seems like it would fit perfectly in the settings as a cheeky insult, contributing the American cultural catalog of “boy” versus “girl” insults and jabs (although it is not explicitly gendered).

Post-Internet Roman Empire

Nationality: Indian

Primary Language: English

Other Language(s): N/A

Age: 21

Residence: Los Angeles

Text

“My Roman Empire is [something I think about a lot].”

Context

This informant is from Generation Z, and they use social media on a regular basis. They are also studying video games at USC, so they are very familiar with internet terminology.

Analysis

This phrase is a customizable proverb (and also, to some extent, a joke) that postdates the internet. A couple years ago, an internet trend where girlfriends asked their boyfriends how often they think about the Roman Empire went viral. Eventually, the proverb evolved from literally meaning people are thinking about the Roman Empire to simply something that has been on the person’s mind frequently, hence the phrase, “My Roman Empire is [something I think about a lot].” This internet proverb has an interesting way of connecting the past (Roman Empire) with the present (internet) and using it in a humorous context. The joke begins with the viral phrase “my Roman Empire is…” – a phrase many social media users are familiar with – and ends with something entirely unique to the speaker… something unexpected by the listener. This unpredictability gives the proverb potential to be humorous!