Got it. No, after I get their encouragement to continue, I don’t mention them at all (or, again, any category they happen to be in).
I’m currently stumped, but I’m just posting here to call dibs on the next puzzle.
I like that — but, like I said, “if anything, the only person I’m insulting with my remark is, arguably, me.” AFAICT, what you’ve written is equivalent to me saying, “so, consider two people, one of whom isn’t as smart as the other. And, well, I’m the smarter one!”
I get how the opposite of that could of course be an insult to me, and not to them — but what you wrote seems to pretty clearly just be an insult to them, and not to me.
I genuinely don’t see how I could argue that I’m the only one being insulted in your scenario; ‘next to last’ means I’m saying that someone else is less smart.
Joe says to Mike, “out of us two, I am next to last.”
That means that Mike is last, and Joe is first.
Which, AFAICT, would be an insult to someone other than Joe.
So if I’m Joe in that scenario, then I’d be insulting someone other than Joe; even putting aside that it happens to be Mike, it’s someone other than Joe.
And, again: I know it might seem like I’m splitting hairs, here, but if I’m “next to last,” then I’m saying that someone else is last. I’d arguably be insulting myself, but I’d be insulting someone else (a) too, and, as far as I can tell, (b) more.
And, well, that doesn’t seem interesting. Of course I could get a laugh from other people, but not the guy in front of me, by saying something insulting about the guy in front of me; there’s nothing counterintuitive about that. That’s why I ruled it out before it got suggested: it would’ve been the obvious answer, and — looking back over everything I’ve said that’s drawn an expected laugh — this really is the only thing I can remember doing that’s repeatedly and reliably gotten that response from onlookers, but not the guy being talked at, without insulting anyone other than me.
That’s the only reason I figured on offering it up for this thread: thinking to myself, huh, is that the only thing in my experience that fits this bill? I guess that’s mildly interesting, and, so long as weeks have gone by, maybe it’s worth bumping the thread with.
But a remark that boils down to “I’m smarter than someone else” doesn’t seem to qualify.
Do we have a final answer yet or not? I want to know really badly as this one has fascinated me.
No.
“I’m the second dumbest, out of the two of us”
it’s a thing that sounds for a moment like I’m insulting myself, but after a moment’s thought you realize that I’m insulting you, and boasting that I’m the smarter one.
The joke lies in that momentary misunderstanding.
But that’s my whole point: it’s not that I’m trying to sound like I’m insulting myself, and then after a moment’s thought you realize that, heh, no, I’m insulting someone else by boasting that I’m smarter than someone else; instead, it’s that I’m trying to sound like I’m insulting myself, and then you realize after a moment’s thought that I’m not boasting that I’m smarter than anyone else.
If I were — even if it takes a moment to realize it — then you’re right; I’d be insulting them, by boasting that I’m smarter than someone else. But I make sure to not do that.
Hence what I thought was the lateralness of the joke. If there is a group of people and I say you are the second-smartest and I’m next to last (like 9th smartest out of 10) I am insulting myself and not you. But that is inverted in a group of 2.
Is it a joke that everyone else gets but the receiver (for whatever reason) doesn’t?
Does the joke have to do with something specific to that person (name, clothing, age, etc.)?
Is this a joke that pretty much any one you do it with would not laugh but observers would? Let’s say an estimated 90% of the time.
I get that, but — at the risk of beating a dead horse — you’re insulting #10 in that setup, regardless of whether #10 happens to be me. And I’m saying: even that would be out of bounds.
I believe the receiver could explain why it got a laugh just as well as anyone who’d been listening along could.
I don’t think so, no. Certainly not name or clothing or age.
Well, look, I’m 0-for-4 with the person I’m talking at, and 4-for-4 with observers; I never expect the person I’m doing it with to laugh (though I grant that it could happen), and I always hope to get a laugh from others. I could tey to figure out what the percentages would be going forward, but all I’ve got to go on is the same info you now have: the first time was a best-guess roll of the dice, and my impromptu insult-only-myself effort got the hoped-for results, and the whole reason I haven’t varied my delivery since is because it’s kept on getting exactly those results each time so far.
Does the joke involve a prop?
Do you threaten the person with a punch to the face if they laugh? (j/k unless it’s a yes)
No props. (And no if-they-laugh threat.)
Does the insulting of your intelligence enter into the joke, like you intentionally tell a really bad dad joke?
I’m not 100% sure what you have in mind, but I think you’re on the wrong track; I can imagine getting their encouragement to go ahead, and then building up to a laugh by spending the last seven words intentionally presenting myself as goofier or sillier or just plain dumber than I had up to that point — but, well, this isn’t that.
Was the thing that the target said that prompted the joke a question that you answered, and a humorous way?
I’m genuinely not sure what you have in mind, here; could you give me a hypothetical exchange that’d fit the bill?
(reading my post it should have said “in” a humorous way, not and a humorous way)
As a poor example:
Target: How do I attach this pipe to the nozzle?
You: First you take the pipe and release the flange…
Target: Yes …
You: then you stick it up your nose!