# Dumb, obvious jokes some people can't help but reflexively make **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 21, 2023, 12:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dumb-obvious-jokes-some-people-cant-help-but-reflexively-make/994928 "2023-12-21T12:09:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2023, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dumb-obvious-jokes-some-people-cant-help-but-reflexively-make/994928/41 "2023-12-21T20:56:27Z")
Next Friday America will rejoice in all the “See You Next Year” cracks which never get old. NEVER. ---
**Author:** ![CairoCarol](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cairocarol/32/3825_2.png) [@CairoCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairoCarol)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2023, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dumb-obvious-jokes-some-people-cant-help-but-reflexively-make/994928/42 "2023-12-21T21:01:42Z")
Seems like there are at least two kinds of dumb, obvious jokes here: the ones that are impersonal, like “see you next year” and the ones that directly involve one’s traits (“Since you’re Rich, can I have some money?”) The latter should always be avoided because they are certain to be tiresome for the person on the receiving end. The former are lame but harmless. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2023, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dumb-obvious-jokes-some-people-cant-help-but-reflexively-make/994928/43 "2023-12-21T21:03:29Z")
> [@TroutMan](#): > > I mean, SNL did a 5 minute sketch built entirely around essentially the same joke. Considering their track record, that’s not necessarily a ringing endorsement. ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2023, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dumb-obvious-jokes-some-people-cant-help-but-reflexively-make/994928/44 "2023-12-21T21:11:02Z")
I know a student whose name (in Mandarin) sounded like the word for “lose.” Nobody made fun of it, but one day he was participating in a race, and the teacher told the students to cheer his name repeatedly to support him, and all the kids loudly chanted, **“Lose! Lose! Lose! Lose! Lose!”** ---
**Author:** ![Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulf_the_Unwashed)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2023, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dumb-obvious-jokes-some-people-cant-help-but-reflexively-make/994928/45 "2023-12-21T21:12:49Z")
I don’t mind Tar-zhay but only from people who refer to Wal-mar-shay as well. ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2023, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dumb-obvious-jokes-some-people-cant-help-but-reflexively-make/994928/46 "2023-12-21T21:21:35Z")
Once while cutting a piece of apple wood with a miter saw to create chunks for smoking, the blade hit a knot or something, snagged, and the wood violently twisted in my hand, smacking the tip of one of my fingers, breaking my finger bone and splitting the skin open like a grape. In the ER I asked the doc “will I be able to play the guitar after it heals?” He assured me I’d be able to. I said “great, I couldn’t play before!” I expected a groan, since that joke is as old as Vaudeville, but I actually got a laugh out of him. It probably helped that he was so young he’d likely never heard nor seen anything resembling a Vaudeville routine, probably not even a Three Stooges short. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2023, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dumb-obvious-jokes-some-people-cant-help-but-reflexively-make/994928/47 "2023-12-21T21:40:31Z")
> [@JohnT](#): > > Next Friday America will rejoice in all the “See You Next Year” cracks which never get old. NEVER. Oh man. Last week was our last week of school before the break, and I meet with a lot of students on a weekly basis, and I ended every single lesson with a version of this joke. “this is our last class of the year,” I would say, beginning a sentence, before they interrupted me with all the questions. Watching their faces pass from confusion through alarm to understanding: I can confirm that it never gets old. ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2023, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dumb-obvious-jokes-some-people-cant-help-but-reflexively-make/994928/48 "2023-12-21T21:44:43Z")
> [@griffin1977](#): > > You don’t understand. Caulk sounds almost exactly like cock! Now you’ve spoiled the joke by explaining it. ---
**Author:** ![snowthx](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowthx/32/10660_2.png) [@snowthx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snowthx)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2023, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dumb-obvious-jokes-some-people-cant-help-but-reflexively-make/994928/49 "2023-12-21T21:47:46Z")
Any time I hear someone on TV say the word “heinous” I reflexively add “uhh, heh-heh heh-heh…he said…” and then say the funny part of that word. Those in the clan will get it, and yes, I still laugh at jokes for 12-year olds. ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2023, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dumb-obvious-jokes-some-people-cant-help-but-reflexively-make/994928/50 "2023-12-21T21:52:40Z")
There’s some overlap here with this thread. [Was this compliment inappropriate?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-this-compliment-inappropriate/994817) The fact that if someone is (say) unusually tall or short or has a name like Adam West, if you comment on it or make a joke about it (especially the first time you meet them) you are an inexcusable dumbass. But I am constantly amazed by the much broader phenomenon that most people are terrible at seeing the world from other people’s perspective. You see frequently on here - people write OPs asking for advice in which they seem completely incapable of understanding that many of the facts that are known to them are likely not known to their audience and are critically relevant. The minority of people who _can_ see the world from other people’s perspective tend to be good teachers. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2023, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dumb-obvious-jokes-some-people-cant-help-but-reflexively-make/994928/51 "2023-12-21T21:53:58Z")
> [@Ike\_Witt](#): > > How do you feel about stud finder gags? They are a must do. When using one as a male you must point it at yourself and go “beep beep beep”. > [@Procrustus](#): > > 24 posts in and no one mentioned “that’s what she said!” > > Which I still find hilarious when used correctly. It can be funny, despite tired and old. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2023, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dumb-obvious-jokes-some-people-cant-help-but-reflexively-make/994928/52 "2023-12-21T21:59:51Z")
> [@XOldiesJock](#): > > The worst thing you can ever do is make a joke of a person’s name. If you can, they’ve probably heard it before. > > I have a name that could be construed as a two-word sentence, with a noun (my first name) and a verb (my last name.) Lots of people do. In my entire life, no one ever made a joke of it. One day while researching a story, I called the PR person for a local organization. Her response to me was “Wow. I’ll bet you get a lot of jokes about THAT name!” Seriously. Very first thing. I coldly replied “No, I do not. You’re the only person who’s been so rude.” It actually made me a little paranoid. It’s been more than 30 years and I still remember it. > > I mean, do people say to someone whose name is Carpenter “Bet you’re good with a hammer and saw?” Or someone whose name is Lawyer “Can I see your briefs?” In high school I had a classmate whose last name was pronounced very close to an obscene noun+verb combination. For privacy let’s say it was pronounced “Goatfuck”. There were people who thought that they were oh so clever in calling him “Goatfucker”. I mean, the name _already_ is its own joke, no need to run it into the ground by just making an even worse joke on top of it. ---
**Author:** ![XOldiesJock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/ec9cab/32.png) [@XOldiesJock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XOldiesJock)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2023, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dumb-obvious-jokes-some-people-cant-help-but-reflexively-make/994928/53 "2023-12-21T22:02:06Z")
Since I brought up never making a joke of someone’s name, there was one time I was tempted. The post by “solost” reminded me of it. I cut my finger on a can lid and my wife drove me to the E.R. to get stitches. The doc came in and introduced himself as Doctor Wu. My mind went immediately to the song by Steely Dan. _"Are you with me, Doctor Wu?_ _Are you really just a shadow_ _Of the man that I once knew?_ _Are you crazy? Are you high_ _Or just an ordinary guy?_ _Have you done all you can do?_ _Are you with me, Doctor?"_ I thought it was hilarious. He left for a moment, and I mentioned it to my wife. “Don’t go there,” she said. But, after he stitched me up, he said, “Well, I’ve done all I can do.” He was either a mind reader or he’d heard the joke before. ---
**Author:** ![xizor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xizor/32/102_2.png) [@xizor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xizor)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2023, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dumb-obvious-jokes-some-people-cant-help-but-reflexively-make/994928/54 "2023-12-21T22:09:54Z")
Overheard wayyyyyy too often in the workplace, often by the sales team. “Working hard? Or hardly working?” ha ha ---
**Author:** ![Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slow_moving_vehicle/32/291_2.png) [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slow_Moving_Vehicle)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2023, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dumb-obvious-jokes-some-people-cant-help-but-reflexively-make/994928/55 "2023-12-21T22:22:34Z")
> [@CairoCarol](#): > > There was a teacher named Prufrock in my son’s junior high school. When my son met him, he said, “Do you measure out your life in coffee spoons?” > > Given the my kid was in 8th grade at the time, it was forgivable. (And I was actually a little proud that he knew the reference, given the utter lack of attention to poetry in his school.) Still, if I were named Prufrock I’m sure I’d get tired of all the Love Song jokes. On the other hand, I’d know that my interlocutor was at least a bit literate If your son had said that to my high school AP English teacher, she’d have been delighted. (I mean, if her name had been Prufrock…) I once assisted a young woman named Ariel. Avoiding the obvious trap, I asked her if she were a “bright and ardent spirit”, and she perked right up. Told me that one of the litmus tests she used for guys she dated was whether they referenced the _Little Mermaid_ or _The Tempest_. Unfortunately, I’m clueless about reading signals, so I didn’t follow up the implied invitation. ---
**Author:** ![Moriarty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moriarty/32/49_2.png) [@Moriarty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moriarty)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2023, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dumb-obvious-jokes-some-people-cant-help-but-reflexively-make/994928/56 "2023-12-21T22:43:01Z")
Wait, so I’m _not_ supposed to ask the cashier for “one _winning_ lottery ticket, please!” > [@griffin1977](#): > > Caulk sounds almost exactly like cock! Even better…cock is another term for a man’s _penis_! > [@xizor](#): > > Overheard wayyyyyy too often in the workplace, often by the sales team. > “Working hard? Or hardly working?” “Just living the dream” ---
**Author:** ![snowthx](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowthx/32/10660_2.png) [@snowthx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snowthx)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2023, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dumb-obvious-jokes-some-people-cant-help-but-reflexively-make/994928/57 "2023-12-21T22:56:47Z")
> [@XOldiesJock](#): > > I cut my finger on a can lid and my wife drove me to the E.R. to get stitches. The doc came in and introduced himself as Doctor Wu. My mind went immediately to the song by Steely Dan. My dermatologist is Dr. No. Altho I am sure he is thick-skinned about it, I have so far resisted the urge to ask if his practice is part of SPECTRE. ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2023, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dumb-obvious-jokes-some-people-cant-help-but-reflexively-make/994928/58 "2023-12-22T00:42:15Z")
These days you can’t use the word ‘inconceivable’ without incurring some kind of interruption. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2023, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dumb-obvious-jokes-some-people-cant-help-but-reflexively-make/994928/59 "2023-12-22T02:05:37Z")
Surely you can’t be serious. ---
**Author:** ![dougrb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/76d3ee/32.png) [@dougrb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougrb)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2023, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dumb-obvious-jokes-some-people-cant-help-but-reflexively-make/994928/60 "2023-12-22T02:12:25Z")
I hardly know her. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dumb-obvious-jokes-some-people-cant-help-but-reflexively-make/994928.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dumb-obvious-jokes-some-people-cant-help-but-reflexively-make/994928.md?page=4)