Is Dad Joke Level Jokes Actually Funny or Just Painful?

So I got into a weird debate at lunch today with my buddy Mike. He thinks those super predictable puns and one-liners that dads love are the peak of comedy. You know, jokes like 'I'm reading a book on anti-gravity, it's impossible to put down' type stuff. But I'm on the other side, I feel like they're just groan-worthy and not funny at all. They make me cringe more than laugh. To me, a solid observational joke about something real that happened beats a pun every time. Mike argued that the simplicity is what makes them great and that they're a safe kind of humor anyone can get. I guess I can see his point that they don't offend anyone, but is that really the goal? What do you all think, are dad jokes underrated or should we just let them die out on the porch? Anyone else got a friend who defends these things like their life depends on it?

3 comments

3 Comments

nancycooper12d ago

Mike's argument about them being safe humor has me thinking though. Is "safe" the same thing as "good" or are we just accepting the comedy equivalent of plain white bread? Like, I get that puns take some clever wordplay, but at what point does clever turn into lazy because you can just plug any two vaguely related concepts together? My uncle Steve sends me six dad jokes a week in a group chat and half of them don't even make sense, they just rhyme. So here's my real question for you: if a joke makes you physically groan and roll your eyes, does that reaction count as a form of laughter or is it the exact opposite?

sarah81812d ago

Nancy, the groan is totally part of it. My buddy Rob does this thing where he'll tell a joke so bad I literally slump in my chair, but then we both crack up because the groan is the punchline, you know? It's like the joke itself is just the setup for that reaction.

terryw679d ago

Mike forgot that half the joy of a dad joke is watching the teller's face light up like a kid who just found a quarter.