11–20 of 122 posts
Do we have to make the average middle-aged man into a buffoon to make up for our discomfort that a handful of older men have the unfair ability to boss us around? (e.g. Jeff Epstein, Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk?) (The reality that a group of less than 0.01% of the has so much power over the rest of us causes us to blame "the 1% percent" or "top 10%" or "the patriarchy", etc.)
Do we have to make the average middle-aged man into a buffoon to make up for our discomfort that a handful of older men have the unfair ability to boss us around? (e.g. Jeff Epstein, Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk?) (The reality that a group of less than 0.01% of the has so much power over the rest of us causes us to blame "the 1% percent" or "top 10%" or "the patriarchy", etc.)
I think we mostly do that to ourselves.
My kids have a habit of shouting, "Dad joke!" whenever I make a groaner. The other day, my wife made a great pun, and my son said, "Dad joke!" "No, it's a mom joke," she clarified. Then she educated them. "There are two differences between dad jokes and mom jokes. Number one, I'm a mom, not a dad, so I tell mom jokes." "What's the other difference?" a kid asked. "Number two," she sighed, looking in my direction. "Dad…
'Youth' are displaying their social capacity - their humor, their communication ability, their ability to navigate social situations, their ability to play, etc. They are trying to show how clever they can be in order to attract others, and maybe due to living in competitive social situations (school). The level of funny and socially cleverness is the whole point. The audience is trying to find fault, to a degree.
'Dads' and older adults of all types are trying to bond and model loving behavior, especially with the youth with whom the older adults are rarely competing. The audience is presumed to be trying to bond too - they are trying to find the love and enjoyment. A dumb joke adds to the humor, because now the teller becomes a target of laughter, and models vulnerability and trust.
When the 'dad' tells a dumb joke, the two parties understand it completely differently. One thinks or says, 'Oh my god, that's so embarrassing!'. The other thinks, 'Yes, you get it! :D'
Do we have to make the average middle-aged man into a buffoon to make up for our discomfort that a handful of older men have the unfair ability to boss us around? (e.g. Jeff Epstein, Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk?) (The reality that a group of less than 0.01% of the has so much power over the rest of us causes us to blame "the 1% percent" or "top 10%" or "the patriarchy", etc.)
I certainly can't wear my bosses pants on my head.
My unfounded theory: As with most miscommunication and conflict, the 'conflict' between 'dad' joke tellers and youthful audience is because the two parties are using the same thing (jokes) for different purposes. To describe people very, very generally: 'Youth' are displaying their social capacity - their humor, their communication ability, their ability to navigate social situations, their ability to play, etc. They…
I'd like to think dad jokes are a good thing.
My unfounded theory: As with most miscommunication and conflict, the 'conflict' between 'dad' joke tellers and youthful audience is because the two parties are using the same thing (jokes) for different purposes. To describe people very, very generally: 'Youth' are displaying their social capacity - their humor, their communication ability, their ability to navigate social situations, their ability to play, etc. They…
Yes, definitely. One either graduates to being able to not take oneself seriously (ie. by telling embarrassing and not-mean jokes, and sometimes being on the receiving end of one) or not. I'd like to think dad jokes are a good thing.
If you're not a dad and tell a dad joke, then you're a faux pa.
For me as a non-american, the concept od 'dad jokes' is totally alien. From perceived usage, it seems just as a different phrase for puns, with some negative association.