Yus, the reason they don’t get your jokes and riffs, is because the shit you’re joking about is NORMAL for them.
Long story short, I’ve had a running joke about the death of my stuffed rooster (Ray) at work. We communicate with each other via a CHAT function. Whilst most of the folk joined in with the laughs, there were a few who took the Chook Funeral to a whole n’other level and were sincere in their condolences upon the loss of my feathered cock!
I was bemused, until two of those who were most effusive in their sympathies passed on messages that they understood my loss, because THEY had lost their mums recently. One in particular was bereft, as she’d buried her mum with the mobile phone…and now the phone too is dead! :eek:
See? This is why I can’t be funny anymore! I’m the work jokester, the punning queen, and the all round “If you say something, I’m going to riff on ya” mistress.
How can I beat someone burying their mobile phone with their dead mum AND being upset about it?? Fuck me dead, I’m gone!
I’ve been whooshed a few times, but for the most part, I’m quick to get jokes and snark. I can’t imagine what goes on in the head of someone who just doesn’t get it… ever!
Still, sorry about your feathered cock. Be strong!
I supposed it’d be tacky to bring a chicken casserole to the wake…
One of my bosses is that way. I’ve cracked a couple of jokes in front of him and just gotten this blank look and slow reply that indicated he thought I was being completely serious.
I checked with a couple of other people and repeated the jokes, which they thought were funny, so it wasn’t just me. And of course, since he’s a boss, I get really, really uncomfortable when my jokes fall flat.
In my work I interface with many Japanese engineers.
I learned the long and hard way that sarcasm is not something practiced or understood by the Japanese. They take everything you say at face value regardless of tone or facial expression.
Now I make sure my jokes are sarcasm free to have any chance of working.
I have ruined hundreds of jokes through the years because of my weak sarcasm detector. I have my coworkers broken down into two categories. People who I can take what they say at face value, and people who I need to automatically distrust. People who know me well know that I’m always down to laugh and have a good time. They just can’t do the straight face thing. Because I am really really gullible.
I was at the hospital for my pre-op appointment prior to my hip replacement surgery. I was bored and the next Dr in was to be the anesthesiologist. I decided to have some fun. The conversation went like this:
DR: Hi, I’m Dr X. I will be your anesthesiologist
Me: Hi Doc. You’re not going to put me to sleep are you?
DR: As opposed to what?
Me: Just a local. I can handle it.
DR: Oh, no, this is major surgery. We will be putting you to sleep.
Me: But you don’t understand, Doc - “they” come for me when I sleep.
DR: (No change of expression) I’m afraid I don’t understand.
Me: Heh, just joking with you
Dr: (No change of expression) We’ll be using Propofol for sedation…
At that point I didn’t think it prudent to make any Michael Jackson jokes.
When the leaves fell this year, we discovered a gigantic wasp’s nest (larger than my head) in one of the little trees in my side yard. When I called our exterminator, the scheduler asked if the next was currently active. I said that I didn’t think so, but to be on the safe side, they should send a tech with no family, who’s not afraid to die. She said, “yes, sir, we will. Will he need a ladder?”
My niece doesn’t get most jokes, nor can she tell one without screwing it up. She’s certainly smart enough, but for some reason she doesn’t understand punchlines. Her response to many jokes is along the lines of:
Joke teller: “So then the cowboy says ‘well, ma’am, this just isn’t yore day’!”
Niece: “So what did the woman say then?”
Niece telling joke: “Why did the idiot throw his alarm clock out the window? 'Cause he he wanted it to look like an airplane. . .or something like that.”
In my family, that leaves you open to all manner of abuse, of course.
In all fairness to medical professionals, they have probably had so many people misunderstand what was going on so badly so many times, that this was just another day at work for him.
I have a very dry sense of humour, and an excellent deadpan - I discovered that one lady I had known for a while didn’t know I had a sense of humour - she thought everything I said was meant to be taken at face value. Oh, man, that is such a bad idea!
On the other hand, I absolutely love cracking people up who get my humour.
I was at the hospital for my pre-op appointment prior to my hip replacement surgery. I was bored and the next Dr in was to be the anesthesiologist. I decided to have some fun. The conversation went like this:
DR: Hi, I’m Dr X. I will be your anesthesiologist
Me: Hi Doc. You’re not going to put me to sleep are you?
DR: As opposed to what?
Me: Just a local. I can handle it.
DR: Oh, no, this is major surgery. We will be putting you to sleep.
Me: But you don’t understand, Doc - “they” come for me when I sleep.
DR: (No change of expression) I’m afraid I don’t understand.
Me: Heh, just joking with you
[/QUOTE]
Don’t quit your day job.
When I got into a car accident, in the ambulance on the way to the hospital an EMT asked me how I was feeling. I said, “Well, the novelty’s starting to wear off.” They gave me another shot of morphine.
There are humor impaired people, including people with social disorders, but the following factors are much more likely IME (I’ve been on both sides of a lot of these):
They don’t get your cultural references or inside jokes. They travel in different social circles. Know your audience.
They’re tired or busy and not in a “fun” mood and just want to get the job done and go home. You’re like the over the top morning person who makes everyone grind their teeth.
Sarcasm isn’t humor to many people, more the province of smug teenagers. They want you to grow up.
They get your jokes, they don’t need it explained – they just think it’s stupid and not funny. This creates social awkwardness. A lot of people don’t feel the need to offer a polite laugh, since it may invite more bad jokes.
I have a coworker who always tells NSFW jokes. I don’t usually find them funny. But even if I did, I probably wouln’t laugh. I don’t want to encourage bad workplace behavior, nor do I want anyone accusing me of being a part of it.
The docs deal with a lot of folks that are already borderline itrrational whether due to dementia, medication, or illicit drugs. Or plain old garden variety stupidity exacerbated by stress & lack of sleep.
He read you as one of the above and continued his *pro forma *spiel fully expecting that 0% of it would stick with you. All he really wanted out of the encounter was your sig on the “informed” consent form.
:o I’m ashamed to say I tried to tell the interrupting cow knock knock joke the other day and in the middle of it, forgot how a knock knock joke works. :smack:
