3 of 38

Write now Article Tools

Have you ever wondered where jokes come from? Who writes them? I imagine a small percentage of jokes write themselves through naturally occurring human interactions and are simply polished and retold by gifted storytellers for people who appreciate human folly and the ridiculous situations we get ourselves into. This is one delightful category of jokes that stands alone and they deserve to be retold to new generations, forever.

I think there exists a larger number of jokes that have been made of "whole cloth" by talented composers of humorous stories who lead listeners down a path the listener can guess where the narrative is leading. Suddenly, with a phrase or often a single word, the whole supposed ending is jerked away and replaced by an unexpected one with a force that shocks us into laughter. Tension is skillfully built into the story and then suddenly released by an unexpected ending, hence the phrase, "punch line." It's like being punched by an unseen force and a really good joke can take one's breath away.

We appear to enjoy this experience, but I doubt that words are capable of explaining why we do, to those unfortunates who were born without a funny-bone.
I've heard that most jokes originate in prisons. How anyone would determine the veracity of this theory I can't imagine, but important ingredients are present in a prison. An abundance of time to think and rethink something, a concentrated population of those who have demonstrated "human folly" on a grand scale and a strong desire to recognize it and avoid repeating it, may be some of these ingredients. Years of conversation about personal experience could contribute to insight into human nature and escapist thinking, the "What if?" thoughts of prisoners could also make a cauldron of ingredients bubble and simmer, resulting in jokes. Certainly many prisoners have first-rate minds and are unfortunate to also be born risk takers. With risk comes frequent failure. Many famous people are very lucky risk takers and possess first-rate minds, they just never got incarcerated for indulging in risky behavior. Perhaps they all could compose funny jokes, who knows?

Other categories of jokes are shaggy-dog stories, puns, ethnic, cultural, racial, etc. I suppose these serve some purpose to a diverse number of groups who cannot appreciate more sophisticated humor, but I don't usually find them to be funny. There is no accounting for taste. We are, as we are. Humans are the only species that laughs and cries, or needs to. Humor is a fascinating subject.

Learn more about this author, Northsage.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.

Add your voice

Know something about Essays: The human mind?
We want to hear your view. Write now!