Don't Explain the Joke: Difference between revisions

[[File:texplainthejoke.jpg|link=Batman|thumb|350px|It seems jokes are something The Joker doesn't like to kill. [[Hypocritical Humor|Get it? It's because he's a criminal with a comedy theme!]]]]

 

 

In short, explaining the punchline of a joke just makes it not funny, whether or not it would be otherwise. Jokes can be hard to do, and sometimes not everyone will get it, but while explaining the context might help, the punchline should stand on its own.

# Someone doesn't get the joke, and has to have it explained. Then again, that doesn't actually kill the joke. It was already dead, since the listener didn't get it in the first place. It can still work, but only if the joke actually is that someone doesn't get the joke. (This includes private in-jokes which even intelligent people would never understand without explanation.) Sometimes that someone tries to guess at what the joke is until everyone becomes exasperated and actually has to explain the joke instead of offering subtle hints which make that someone even more confused.

# Explaining the joke with no prompting. This may be done as an attempt at [[Post Modernism]], but it's usually done with jokes that wouldn't need any explaining. It can still work if the explanation is tongue in cheek. Sometimes [[So Unfunny It's Funny|the real joke is about killing the joke by explaining it]] (cf. [[Hypocritical Humor]]).

# The joke-teller or writer has a tin ear for comedic timing, and overdoes the joke without knowing better.

## Corollary: Sometimes the teller also has the dimmest idea too.

# The joke is [[German Humour|German]], where a lot of jokes are explained in the end, for some reason (usually a foreigner making a clueless face).

 

Contrast [[Stealth Pun]] (where absolutely no explanation is given), [[Am I Right?]], and [[No Sense of Humor]]. See also [[Leave the Plot Threads Hanging]]. Not at all like [[Anti-Humor]] jokes, where the whole point is that the listener doesn't get the joke. [[Lampshade Hanging|Oh, wait, did I just explain the joke?]].

 

== Advertising ==

* There is a 2009 T-Mobile commercial with a part where the customer is in her dummy studio and states that she wants a phone plan that "...doesn't cost one of these and one of these." while holding up a dummy arm and leg then immediately stating that they are in fact "...an arm and a leg."

'''Basketball Coach:''' It's bad. }}

 

* ''[[Kenichi: The Mightiest Disciple]]'' has a [[Running Gag]] that if anyone comes up behind Miu, she'll throw them. ''Every single time'' this occurs, there's a [[Footnote Fever|little caption box]] that says something like "Miu has a habit of throwing anyone standing behind her". It gets to the point that the caption itself is its own [[Running Gag]].

* In the beginning of the 26th episode of ''[[Excel Saga (anime)|Excel Saga]]'', Excel has an argument with director Nabeshin about making a musical episode (musicals, after all, take a lot of effort to produce). They conduct this argument while singing the melodies of the series' music. At the end of this segment, Hyatt chimes in, noting that it's already a musical (with Hyatt's enigmatic personality, it may be variant 4 or 5, though).

* ''[[Pokémon (anime)|Pokémon]]'s'' dub is absolutely rife with bad puns, and sometimes Lampshades this. "Looks like I'm all in one...PEACE! Haha, see, it's funny, because I'm making a "peace" sign!"

* Black*Star of ''[[Soul Eater]]'' sometimes overexplains the meaning of his jokes... which is necessary, because they're pretty incomprehensible.

 

== Comic Books ==

* In an early issue of ''[[Archie Comics Sonic the Hedgehog]]'', Robotnik sends a robot that looks a lot like [[Family Matters|Urkel]] after Sonic, who notes that he "sounds familiar". A footnote immediatly explains that [[Actor Allusion|the same guy plays Sonic]] on [[Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog|the then currently]] [[Sonic Sat AM|running Sonic cartoons]].

 

* Almost all of the subtle, amusing jokes of the original books are painfully explained by Rose Potter in ''[[The Girl Who Lived]].''

* ''[[My Immortal]]'': "Geddit cuz im goffik?"

** Except sometimes, it's actually necessary to detect the presence of [[A Worldwide Punomenon|an attempted joke.]] Sadly, those are the ones that ''aren't'' explained, merely marked with a [[Lampshade Hanging|"geddit?"]]

 

== Film ==

** Oh, just choose ''any'' Mike Myers film these days.

*** ''[[The Love Guru]]'': "Bring me alligator soup, and make it snappy! ...See, 'snappy', because it's 'alligator' soup. And also because I want it 'promptly'." (grins for camera)

* There is a German movie called ''Französisch für Anfänger'' ("French for Beginners") that contains a dialogue that goes something like this:

{{quote|'''Boy:''' French is friggin' boring. And those French people ... selfish, arrogant baguette munchers!

'''Boy:''' No?

'''Girl:''' She's French. }}

{{quote|'''Shelly (former cheerleader):''' I've got a big story for you, and it's right here. [points to her breasts.]

'''Ron Burgundy''': Well hello... you pointed to your boobies.

'''Ron Burgundy''': You know what I'm talking about.... [implied wink]... I'm talking about sexual intercourse.

'''Ron Burgundy''': We are laughing and we are very good friends. Good buddies sharing a special moment...

'''Brian Fantana''': Don't say anything Ron and just let it happen.

'''Ron Burgundy''': ...laughing and enjoying our friendship, and someday we'll look back on this with much fondness.

'''Ron Burgundy''': I'm storming your castle on my steed, m'lady. }}

* In ''[[Seltzer and Friedberg|Epic Movie]]'', a [[Samuel L. Jackson]] lookalike says the "muthafucking snakes" line (although a PG-13 variant), and then keeps repeating it instead of getting rid of the snakes. Could have worked (just not in that movie), but then after the third time, he says that the fanboys in the Internet love it when he says it.

{{quote|So, don't just tell a joke, tell it twice in a row. That way, it's double-funny. Imagine Leslie Nielsen saying, "[[Airplane!|I am serious, and don't call me Shirley.]] Because, when you said 'surely', I mistook it to mean that you were calling me by the woman's name 'Shirley'. They sound alike and I became confused."}}

** ''[[The Soup]]'' made fun of ''Meet the Spartans'' by making a trailer for ''[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VpWOZmp6ajY Reference Movie]'', including one girl dressed as Britney Spears saying, "I'm just fighting for custody of my kids, y'all. Get it?"

*** It can be said that this is a staple of [[Seltzer and Friedberg]] movies. Part of the reason any comedy value they have is gone is that they feel the need to point out every gag they put into their movies.

* ''[[Up]]'': "It's funny because the squirrel gets dead!"

* ''[[Shriek If You Know What I Did Last Friday the Thirteenth]]'', which is either a parody of a parody or a [[Satire, Parody, Pastiche|parody of a parody of a parody]] (depending on whether you think it's a satire of ''[[Scary Movie]]'' or just a satire of ''[[Scream (film)|Scream]]'') has a scene similar to the one in ''[[Scream (film)|Scream]]'' where the [[Genre Savvy]] guy actually explains to a loungeroom full of teenagers all the rules about horror movies, in which the redhead girl explains all about Parodies and how they work. [[Seltzer and Friedberg|Some people]] could learn something there.

** Done a bit too much in [[Harry Potter (film)|the movies]], mostly owing to the fact that Harry's observations, while funny in his head, were rather forced when spoken aloud. Another example from the first movie, when Neville gets his Rememberall and it turns red:

{{quote|'''Neville:''' The only problem is, I can't remember what I've forgotten!}}

* In ''[[Predator]]'', Hawkins tells two jokes to Billy about his girlfriend, but since he [[Cannot Tell a Joke]], both times he ends up explaining the punchline when it doesn't get a laugh.

** It's possible that Billy is messing with Hawkins on both occasions since he sometimes parodies his own role as [[The Stoic]] from time to time.

''[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v{{=}}KjjVUUO5NAI [all burst into laughter] ]'' }}

* In ''[[Get Him to The Greek]]'', there is a song in there by Aldous' ex-wife Jackie Q called "[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RRJjPXqxRis Ring Around My Posy"], full of innuendos about anal sex. At the very end she says, "I'm talking about my ''asshole''."

 

== Literature ==

* ''[[Discworld]]'' often had characters who after making a pun(e), or other clever word play would usually start to explain the joke before the other character even has the time to react to said joke. [[Anthropomorphic Personification|Death]] tends to be the biggest offender—being [[The Spock]] of the series. Fred Colon and Nobby Nobbs are repeat offenders, too.

** The Fools Guild, naturally, ''teaches'' its students to do this. Its founder, Jean-Paul [[Namesake Gag|Pune]], perfected the art of pronouncing brackets, as in "Q. When is a door not a door? A. When it's ajar (A. Jar)."

** After much speculation on alt.fan.pratchett ([http://www.lspace.org/books/apf/witches-abroad.html it says here]), [[Terry Pratchett]] explained it thus:

{{quote|"It is (I hope) obvious that Granny Weatherwax has absolutely no sense of humour but she has, as it were, heard about it. She has no grasp of how or why jokes work -- she's one of those people who say "And then what happened?" after you've told them the punchline. She can vaguely remember the one-liner, "Give me an alligator sandwich -- and make it snappy!" but since she's got no idea of why it's even mildly amusing she gets confused... all that she can remember is that apparently the man wants it quickly."}}

** This joke predates Terry Pratchett; on an episode of ''[[I Love Lucy]]'' we hear Lucy tell a joke about a man ordering chicken "without too much fat," to which the waiter responds, "Which way?"

{{quote|'''Death:''' {{smallcaps|Let's get there and sleigh them. Ho. Ho. Ho.}}

'''Albert''': Right you are, Master.

*** Because, you know, the jokes are so bad that they aren't funny to anyone else and the people telling the jokes have to explain them.

*** Carrot does this a couple times when writing to home, which [[Justified Trope|makes sense]] because his parents are dwarves. Dwarves have less of a sense of humor than Granny Weatherwax and think that "[[Irony]]" means "something like iron."

*** Though that one is [[Actually Pretty Funny]] if you get it the first time.

* The puns in the later ''[[Xanth]]'' novels are often explained rather than actually showing their pun nature. Take the "Hippo-Crite". Does it actually do things that are hypocritical? No. It just says, "I never mean what I say."

** Well, since it's a series of books built exclusively on puns, anymore, it's not hard to imagine that Piers Anthony would run out of steam eventually.

* From Thomas Mann's ''The Magic Mountain'':

{{quote|"You mean...oh, I see now -- how marvelous!" Hans Castorp laughed. "What a jokester you are! 'At half past nine' -- did you hear, cousin? Herr Settembrini is saying that it's too early for some of 'last year's participants' to spend a little time at the ball. Ha, ha, how spooky. He means the people who have finally put aside all 'lusts of the flesh' -- [[If You Know What I Mean|if you know what I mean]]."}}

 

== Live-Action TV ==

* Johnny Carson was a master at telling jokes that nobody gets. His sheepish explanation would get the laughs.

* Happens quite often on ''[[The Tonight Show]] with Jay Leno'', when Kevin Eubanks doesn't get the joke, and Jay has to take time out to try to explain it. Sometimes Jay just explains the joke even when everybody gets it for some reason.

{{quote|'''Cordelia:''' Oh, right. Your obsession with protecting Buffy. Have I told you how attractive that's not?

'''Xander:''' Cordelia, someone's gotta watch her back.

'''Cordelia:''' Well, I was using the phrase "watch her back" as a euphemism for looking at her butt. You know, sort of a pun.

'''Xander:''' Oh! Right. Hey! }}

{{quote|'''[[Alpha Bitch|Cordelia]]''': And If you hang with them, expect badness, 'cause that's what you get when you hang with freaks and losers. Believe me, I know. ''[begins to walk away, turns back]'' That was a pointed comment about me hanging with you guys.}}

{{quote|'''Willow:''' Should I be watching my occipital lobe?

'''Buffy:''' Your what?

'''Willow:''' Occipital, the lobe in the back of your brain? You know, like, should I be watching my back? But, you know, the back of your brain.

'''Buffy:''' Apparently not. }}

{{quote|'''Anya''': And then the duck tells the doctor that there's a man that's attached to my ass! You see, it was the duck and not the man that spoke.}}

* ''[[The Big Bang Theory]]'' does this all the time, mostly via Sheldon. Like when he summarizes the entire point of one episode:

{{quote|'''Sheldon:''' It's the juxtaposition of the high-tech nature of space exploration against the banality of a malfunctioning toilet that provides the comic fodder here. [beat, then his weird laugh]}}

'''Frasier:''' I get it! }}

* ''[[Spaced]]'': "So it wasn't so much an Eskimo roll, as a case of rolling right Inuit!" (blank look) (Delivered in the same tone) "Inuit's another word for Eskimo!"

{{quote|'''Alex Trebek:''' Where did you get that magic marker? We frisked you in on the way in here.

'''Sean Connery:''' I didn't have it in my pocket.

'''Alex Trebek:''' All right, that's enough.

'''Sean Connery:''' Because I was keeping it in my butt. }}

{{quote|'''Norm Macdonald''': Who are safer drivers? Men, or women? Well, according to a new survey, 55% of adults feel that women are most responsible for minor fender-benders, while 78% blame men for most fatal crashes. Please note that the percentages in these pie graphs do not add up to 100% because the math was done by a woman.

''[uneasy laughter, groans]''

''[laughter increases]''

'''Norm Macdonald''': Nah, I'm just kidding. We don't hire women. ''[riotous laughter and applause]'' }}

{{quote|'''Jake:''' What are you doing in Amanda's apartment?

'''Wayne:''' Hi Jake. Jake, I'm, ah, I'm the new handyman.

* [[The Tag|Every episode]] of ''[[The Vicar of Dibley]]'' ended with Geraldine telling [[The Ditz|Alice]] a joke, which Alice would completely misinterpret and Geraldine would have to explain.

** In the episode that ends with Alice and Hugo on their honeymoon, Geraldine tells David the joke, then starts explaining it out of habit even though he already laughed.

* ''[[The Young Ones]]'' featured an episode where their house was invaded by a vampire. Mikel tried phoning Battersea Dog's Home to help, Ric suggested he should have gone for Doggersea Bat's Home. Cue half a minute of wrangling as Ric tried to explain why that joke worked.

* In ''[[Warehouse 13]]'' when Pete learns that Artie has used an artifact to regrow his appendix about once a year in order to have an excuse to meet Vanessa, the cute Warehouse doctor.

'''Elliot''': Oh, I'm sure you haven't.

'''Turk''': ''(laughing)'' See, it's funny because you've never really satisfied a woman. }}

 

== Music ==

* "Smell The Color 9" by Christian singer Chris Rice, in which he compares trying to find God for oneself to attempting the song title. At the very end, he sings "Nine's not a color, and even if it were, you can't smell a color. That's my point exactly."

** But you ''can'' smell a color (or even associate a number with a color) if you have synesthesia.

 

== Newspaper Comics ==

* [http://www.avclub.com/articles/bloom-county-to-get-republished-at-last,23496/ The upcoming treasury collections] of the legendary comic strip ''[[Bloom County]]'' will probably runneth over this trope. Since much of the humor is a product of the 1980's, the collections will include "context pages" to help explain the cultural and political references to anyone born after the Reagan administration. Because of that, it might be born out of necessity to explain the background of the Meadowcrats...

** Not wanting to have to explain the joke was a ''huge'' factor in Breathed's decision to let the collections go out of print and not release any further reprintings.

 

== Professional Wrestling ==

* Believe it or not, the subtitles that explain what is going on is beneficial to the [[Botchamania]] series. As a lot of the clips (botches) are taken from some of WCW's older stuff, explaining the context of the match, stipulations, etc. help the viewer understand why it's considered a botch in the first place (it should; this IS old WCW, after all.)

** Plus Maffew explaining the joke sometimes underscores the hilarious inanity of segments ("THEY BRAWL OUTSIDE IN A CAGE MATCH")

 

== Radio ==

* Mr. Boynton on ''[[Our Miss Brooks]]'' occasionally does this.

 

 

== Theatre ==

* [http://www.slate.com/id/2121214/ This article] criticises ''[[Spamalot]]'' for explaining a joke (which wasn't explained in the original film), and thus going against the whole point of Pythonesque humour.

* The play ''Picasso At The Lapin Agile'' features a joke about a man who walks into a bakery to order a pie shaped like the letter "E". When everyone doesn't get it, Einstein has to explain why they had to use the letter E by explain why they didn't use most of the letters, such as a C-shaped pie is the same in capital and lowercase, and an O-shaped pie is basically a regular pie. He says he'll get back to D, but never does... {{spoiler|maybe because a D-shaped pie is basically half a pie.}}

 

== Video Games ==

* ''[[Portal 2]]'' has both antagonists pull this one on separate occasions. GLaDOS because she's a [[Deadpan Snarker]] and {{spoiler|Wheatley}} because he's genuinely stupid. The latter is adorned with heavy [[Lampshade Hanging]].

{{quote|'''GLaDOS:''' Remember in the last test chamber when I was talking about smelly garbage taking up space? I'm sorry, but that was a metaphor. I was talking about you. You didn't react at the time, so I wasn't sure that you understood, which would have made this apology sound insane. That's why I had to call you garbage a second time just now.

'''{{spoiler|Wheatley}}:''' You [...] are going to love this big surprise. In fact, you're going to love it ''[[Implied Death Threat|to death]]''. Love it until you're dead -- until it kills you. I don't know if you're picking up on what I'm saying...

'''{{spoiler|1=GLaDOS}}:''' Yes, thanks, we get it. [later] Alright, so he's not even trying to be subtle anymore. Or maybe he still is, in which case, wow, that's kind of sad. }}

** Though the first game itself really had a problem with underestimating the player's ability to recognize its myraid [[Punny Name]]s. Thankfully this stopped in the sequels.

* A random conversation between Joker and EDI in [[Mass Effect 3]] has Joker telling her a joke about a krogan and a salarian. When he's finished, EDI breaks this rule and then proceeds to dissect the stereotypes behind the joke.

 

== Web Comics ==

* An example of Variant 1 happens in ''[[Adorable Desolation]]''. [http://adorabledesolation.comicgenesis.com/d/20090227.html Shopclerk doesn't get it,] she doesn't explain it. She laughs even harder when he realizes he's missing something. He's not even sure what he's not getting.

* The comic "Brawl in the Family" tended to do this frequently in early strips, by telling a joke in the strip, then explaining the (incredibly simple) joke in the newsfeed.

** [http://www.qwantz.com/index.php?comic=18 That's not what she said. Last night. When I had SEX with her!]

* Double lampshading in [http://www.schlockmercenary.com/d/20050305.html this] ''[[Schlock Mercenary]]''.

* [http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0605.html This] ''[[The Order of the Stick]]'', although you could just say he's rubbing it in.

** It's not the first time Leo did [http://www.vgcats.com/comics/?strip_id=269 that]. Also the final panel could be considered the creator explaining the comic's joke.

** To be honest that last panel really makes you laugh again when you see Leo's look of utter surprise.

* ''[[Scandinavia and the World]]'' seems to be guilty of this quite often.{{context}} <!-- MOD: If it happens "quite often', it shouldn't be difficult to find at least one example. -->

* ''[[Penny Arcade (Webcomic)|Penny Arcade]]'''s "Randy Pinkwood" enjoys this. [http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2006/3/15/ "If you know what I'm talking about. And I think you know what I'm talking about. I'm talking about my penis."]

* ''[[PvP (webcomic)|PvP]]'':

** In the arc when Robbie starts his own brewery, one of the first buildings they look at is an incredibly bad choice - so much so, that Max quote's Harold Ramis' line from ''[[Ghostbusters]]'' about the firehouse more or less verbatim. Then, hearing him, Robbie barges in talking about how great the building is, and namedrops the movie, just to be sure that the dozen readers outside the actual target market get the joke.

* ''[[Gunshow]]'' has a whole load of comics under the [http://gunshowcomic.com/tag/that%27s+the+joke "That's the joke"] tag.

* ''[[Spacetrawler]]'' gives us [http://spacetrawler.com/2012/02/21/spacetrawler-208/ this exchange], as the Eebs are just about to rain fiery death upon the planet below them:

{{quote|'''Crimson 57:''' We'd like to apologize beforehand, in case this causes any inconvenience.

'''Eeb #2:''' Hey, that's funny! Because one would think that getting melted alive was ''more'' than just an "inconvenience".

'''Crimson 57:''' No, it ''was'' funny until you explained the joke. }}

 

== Web Original ==

* In ''[[The Guild]]'', season 1 episode 3 "The Macro Problem"

{{quote|'''Zaboo:''' You like my helm ? It's + 5 sexterity... Get it ? It's like "dexterity" but... with "sex", in the front. Like a prefix... I'm kind of a linguist.}}

{{quote|'''Captain Hammer:''' 'Cause she's with Captain Hammer. And ''these'' -- ''[lifts fists]'' -- are not the hammer. ''[walks out]''

'''Dr. Horrible:''' ...

* ''[[Wondermark]]'' blog "The Comic Strip Doctor" once [http://wondermark.com/the-comic-strip-doctor-recontextualization/ demonstrated] what's up with ''[[Garfield]]'':

{{quote|How could a comic that incorporated any of the following panels ''not'' be funny? Somehow, ''[[Garfield]]'' manages. And the secret, it turns out, is through overkill: Here, the punchline is set up twice and delivered twice (visually and through dialogue).}}

 

== Western Animation ==

'''Chief Wiggum:''' It's a reference to Ma Kettle, a movie character from the 1940s.

'''Lou:''' Chief, [[Hypocritical Humor|if you have to explain it, it's not very good]]. }}

{{quote|'''Comedian:''' I finally got around to reading the dictionary. Turns out the zebra did it.

''[crowd laughs]''

'''Lisa:''' It's just a joke.

'''Homer:''' Oh, I get it! I get jokes! ''[laughing]'' }}

{{quote|'''Chalmers:''' "Well, Seymour, it seems we've put together a baseball team, and I was wondering; who's on first?"

'''Skinner:''' "Yes, not the pronoun, but rather a player with the unlikely name of 'Who', is on first!"

'''Chalmers:''' "Well, that's just great, Seymour. We've been out here six seconds and you've already managed to blow the routine!" }}

** This excerpt from "McBain: Let's Get Silly":

{{quote|'''McBain''': You ever notice how men always leave the toilet seat up? <pauses, but nobody laughs> That's the joke.

'''Heckler''': You suck, McBain! <McBain machine guns the crowd> }}

{{quote|'''Bart''': I can finally walk around with Bart Jr. out. <pulls out frog and kisses it>

<Bart Jr. croaks; subtitles read "I thought he meant his penis."> }}

{{quote|'''Wiggum''': This place is more like "Crazeland" <confused murmurs from crowd>. Instead of "Praiseland" <crowd gets it>

'''Moe''': It's a play on words. }}

{{quote|'''Bart''': Uh, yeah, I'd like to speak to a Mr. Tabooger, first name Ollie

'''Homer:''' Ooh, Bart, my first prank call! What do I do?

* In ''[[Avatar: The Last Airbender]]'' in Omashu, the Gaang is trying to guess the name of an Earthbender. Sokka comes up with:

{{quote|'''Sokka''':Wait! I got it! He's an earthbender, right? So, what about. . . Rocky! You know? Because of all the rocks?}}

{{quote|'''Aang''': Hey guys, I think this river is polluted.

'''Sokka''': Well that explains why I can't catch a fish around here. Because normally my fishing skills are off the hook... Get it? Like a fishing hook.

'''Kronk:''' Hey, that's kinda like what he said to you when you got fired!

'''Yzma:''' I know. It's called a 'cruel irony' -- like my dependence on ''you''. }}

{{quote|'''Mittens:''' That wasn't the deal! We had a deal!

'''Bolt:''' The deal just expired.

{{quote|'''Arthur's father:''' That's a ''capital'' idea! ''(chuckles)'' Washington's the nation's capital.

'''Arthur:''' We got it the first time, Dad. }}

* One of the most frequent criticisms of ''[[Family Guy]]'' is that it explains the jokes; for example, during the FCC song:

{{quote|And if you find yourself with some young sexy thing,

You'll have to do her with your ding-a-ling!

...'Cause you can't say "penis." }}

{{quote|Fix your sink Ms. Romano, and by "fix your sink" I mean I'll have sex with you, and by "I have sex with you" I mean I'll fix your sink. And by "sink" I mean your reproductive organ. And by, "reproductive organ" I mean the thing between your knees, and by "the thing between your knees"? I... I guess that one's kind of self-explanatory.

'''Brian:''' Woo! Damn, Schneider; what ''won't'' you say?! }}

{{quote|'''Guy:''' Hey, Fouad, can I buy you a cup of coffee?

'''Fouad:''' Ho, ho, ho, yes, it's funny cause it's free... anyone can have.

'''Peter:''' I think Fouad is an illegal immigrant. I cannot stand by while he steals wages and opportunities from citizens. I mean this is an American company, you don't see Nike or Microsoft or General Motors or Ford or Boeing or Coca Cola or Kellogs profiting from non American labor.

'''Fouad:''' Ohhh ho ho ho... it's funny because they all do! }}

{{quote|'''Michael Eisner''' Are aces high or low?

'''Peter:''' They go both ways.

(Eveybody starts laughing)

'''Ted Turner:''' Like a bisexual!

* Dug the dog from ''[[Up]]'' gives us a particularly hilarious example: "Hey, I know a joke! A squirrel walks up to a tree and says, 'I forgot to store acorns for the winter and now I am dead.' Ha! It is funny because the squirrel gets dead."

* A diner worker in ''[[Garfield and Friends]]'': "No more burgers until I see some lettuce, cat. It is ''money'' to which I refer."

* From ''[[American Dad]]'':

{{quote|'''Klaus''': I'd buy you ten muffin kiosks if I still had my human body. I'd do ''lots'' of things if I still had my human body. Because, you know, I'd have a penis.}}

{{quote|'''Stan''' (showing Steve his favourite example of wood-burning): "'You Want It When?'" (laughs) "'You Want It When?'! Get it? It expresses disbelief at an unreasonable deadline."}}

{{quote|'''Stan:''' There goes the neighborhood! (laughs) [[Discriminate and Switch|Ordinarily that would have racist implications]], [[Lampshade Hanging|but I've actually done something far worse]].}}

{{quote|'''Stan:''' That's what transfat is? The stuff that makes everything taste wonderful? Why doesn't the city council just declare war on flavor?! Like the English did years ago.

'''Steve:''' (Aside to Francine) Their food is atrocious.

* From ''Superjail''

{{quote|'''Prisoner''': Hey Gary, I got a worm for your right here... I'm talking about my penis...}}

* ''[[South Park]]'':

{{quote|'''Cartman:''' Eh, too bad drinking scotch isn't a paying job, or else Kenny's dad would be a millionaire. [Silence] I said your dad would be a millionaire, get it?! Kenny?! Your family is poor, Kenny!! Your family's poor!!!}}

* Zapp Brannigan of ''[[Futurama]]'' does this a lot. But there are several others:

** The crew watching a broadcast about Mom.

'''[[Idiot Hero|Fry]]:''' I get it!

'''Announcer:''' ..."Mom"!!

'''Fry:''' Ohhhh, ''now'' I get it! }}

{{quote|'''Bender:''' You may have to metaphorically make a [[Deal with the Devil]]. And by 'devil', I mean 'Robot Devil', and by 'metaphorically', I mean 'get your coat'.}}

* In ''[[Teen Titans (animation)|Teen Titans]]'', Starfire subverts this trope.

{{quote|'''Beast Boy:''' Hey guys, why are ducks so funny? [beat] Cuz' they're always quacking jokes!

* In [[The Princess and the Frog]], after Lawrence gets thrown into a band:

{{quote|'''Naveen:''' Lawrence! Glad to see you're finally getting into the music! Do you get my joke? Because your head, [[Crowning Moment of Funny|it is in a tuba.]]}}

 

== Other ==

* Japanese humor can have a lot of this. A common "gag" is one character blurting out a non sequitur and another character shouting "THAT DOES NOT MAKE ANY SENSE!"

** For more information, see [[Boke and Tsukkomi Routine]].

* During the roast of Bob Saget, Norm Macdonald did this with lame and predictable jokes, turning his roast into a [[Post Modern]] mockery of roasts themselves.

{{quote|''You have lot of well-wishers here tonight, and a lot of them would like to throw you down one... a well. [[Mood Whiplash|They wanna murder you in a well]], which seems a bit harsh, but that's what it says here on this cue card''}}

* It's a [[Running Gag]] on [[TV Tropes]] to [[Pothole]] [[Pothole Magnet|an explained joke to this article]].

* The [[Surreal Humor|surreal]] video [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysDU7zf9ZnI GABE NEWELL FINDS HIMSELF] features [[Viewers are Morons|ANNOTATIONS FOR THE SUBTLETY IMPAIRED]].

 

== Real Life ==

* Whenever [[Fark]] greenlights a headline with an overused meme (which occurs only every two or three minutes), someone will reply why it's "funny" in full [[Sarcasm Mode]]. For example, whenever a Sarah Jessica Parker headline with a horse pun is greenlighted, someone will say, "Oh, it's funny because Mrs. Parker's face is hideously elongated, not unlike a horse's face!"

* [[The House of Plantagenet|Henry II of England]] apparently fell foul of this one, having to explain to his court that when his jester pointed out that he looked "like a bastard son of a tanner's daughter", he was in fact referring to his great-grandfather, William the Conqueror. [[Self Deprecating Humor|Henry thought it was funny, if no one else did.]]

 

{{reflist}}

[[Category:Comedy Tropes]]

[[Category:Pothole Magnet]]

[[Category:Self-Demonstrating Article]]