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When the joke doesn't land (media.piefed.world)
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[-] FreddiesLantern@leminal.space 10 points 6 days ago

Double down:

Go get your own, sit back next to them.

โ€œI suppose you donโ€™t want a bite of this one instead?โ€

[-] Zozano@aussie.zone 9 points 6 days ago

Here's the tip: say it like you don't give any fucks what they think. The trick is to not give a fuck, which is the hard part. Once you've got that down, then you can deadpan the most absurd shit into comedy.

Here's my follow up tip: to learn how to not give a fuck, first you need to give way too many fucks. Start throwing yourself into the fire and Jeb Bush yourself until you develop Melodram Patheticism. After you adopt "please clap" as your motto, you will become too powerful to ignore.

[-] logicbomb@lemmy.world 67 points 1 week ago

Ever seen a comedian tell a joke that gets no reaction? What do they do? They just soldier on and tell another joke. Sometimes they recover. Sometimes their entire set bombs.

The point is that even the best comedians haven't figured this out yet.

So if you like telling strangers jokes, then don't despair when one doesn't land.

[-] OriginalUsername7@lemmy.world 41 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

Even the best comedians will do sets in little comedy clubs or at backroom open mics while they're writing material for their next tour to see what works. Failure is, after all, the first step to success.

I'd leave the people at the next table in the cafe alone though. They're no there for some random guys inner monologue.

[-] snooggums@piefed.world 18 points 1 week ago

Also, the same joke can get the audience rolling or completely bomb depending on the audience and everything leading up to the joke. Even the best comedians at the height of their careers bomb sometimes.

[-] SkunkWorkz@lemmy.world 5 points 6 days ago

well that's why they say "read the room". That is also a skill you need to hone.

[-] snooggums@piefed.world 3 points 6 days ago

Which is honed by bombing!

[-] lugal@lemmy.dbzer0.com 6 points 1 week ago

Just one more ~~lane~~ joke

[-] ILikeTraaaains@lemmy.world 7 points 1 week ago

Adding more ~~lanes~~ jokes will eventually fix it.

[-] SaveTheTuaHawk@lemmy.ca 1 points 6 days ago

If not, bury in tunnels.

[-] EtherWhack@lemmy.world 60 points 1 week ago

Nah, they were just grumps

[-] oddlyqueer@lemmy.ml 40 points 1 week ago

Blaming the audience for not laughing at your jokes is the hallmark of the poor comedian.

[-] grrgyle@slrpnk.net 56 points 1 week ago

But what if your audience actually sucks

[-] alaphic@lemmy.world 10 points 1 week ago

Fair question.

[-] verity_kindle@sh.itjust.works 7 points 1 week ago

Example: The Philadelphia Incident, Bill Burr, 2005.

[-] oddlyqueer@lemmy.ml 4 points 1 week ago

I don't think there's any such thing as an audience that objectively sucks. Humor is subjective, and I think there's a mental trap of "I think this joke is funny, therefore it is objectively funny and anyone who disagrees is just too stupid to get it" that some comedians fall into, especially if they have a small niche of people who also vibe with their brand of humor. But that attitude prevents you from critically analyzing why jokes are funny, why different things are funny to different audiences, why some jokes fit better in a riff while others can stand alone, etc. Humor is a collaborative craft and part of being good at it is being able to hear your audience say "no, not that one" and believe them.

[-] grrgyle@slrpnk.net 10 points 1 week ago

I agree with you from the perspective of craft, and furthermore I don't believe in objectivity, but when we're talking about two pepfl people it could just be that they are sucky compared to the general mix you get at a comedy show.

[-] oddlyqueer@lemmy.ml 3 points 1 week ago

Sure, could be. Who knows why they didn't laugh. Maybe they had just had a big fight and were trying to make nice. Maybe they were on their way to a funeral. Maybe the joker had been staring uncomfortably at them before telling the joke. Maybe they just suck as humans, who can say. I guess my point is that it's hard to know why someone doesn't laugh at a joke, and jumping to "those people just suck" as a first resort is a thing that people do when they don't want to think critically about how they are received by other people.

[-] grrgyle@slrpnk.net 4 points 1 week ago

Agreed the purpose of saying they suck is to stop thinking critically about how the joke was received [and move on without doing too much mindreading].

[-] DagwoodIII@piefed.social 3 points 1 week ago

As per Bernadette Peters.

"The only true sin is playing too hip for the room."

[-] Gnugit@aussie.zone 45 points 1 week ago

I often blank stare people who randomly spit out annoying jokes or tell me unsolicited life stories so I can relate well to this couple.

[-] alaphic@lemmy.world 28 points 1 week ago

Well, I think we've identified our early favorite for "Most Congenial Lemming"...

Psst... It's you. You're that person.

[-] Gnugit@aussie.zone 20 points 1 week ago
[-] alaphic@lemmy.world 20 points 1 week ago

OOOHHH LOOK! HE'S DOING THE THING!

[-] Gnugit@aussie.zone 11 points 1 week ago

Honestly, it's like an unsolicited dic pic for conversation. I don't want you to butt into my life with some mundane captain obvious joke and I don't want to talk about the weather.

Give me an honest smile and a simple hello though and you've won my heart.

[-] Aedis@lemmy.world 14 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

That's an unfair comparison. OOP wasn't rude, they weren't being flirty, it doesn't even have to be treated as friendly, and most certainly they weren't being overtly sexual (which a dick pic certainly is)

Also here ;)

Tap for spoilerThis is an unsolicited Dick pic ๐Ÿ˜‚

[-] Gnugit@aussie.zone 12 points 1 week ago

Actually i think you're right, it was an unfair analogy.

[-] village604@adultswim.fan 4 points 1 week ago

Lame, I was expecting the dick that blasted in that guys face.

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[-] grrgyle@slrpnk.net 13 points 1 week ago

I often blank stare people because I forget to turn my face on.

[-] Gnugit@aussie.zone 5 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

The older I get and the more I see of the world the harder it is to flip that switch.

[-] village604@adultswim.fan 3 points 1 week ago

You must be fun at parties.

[-] Gnugit@aussie.zone 5 points 1 week ago

Thank you Captain Obvious.

[-] butternuts@piefed.zip 4 points 1 week ago
[-] Visstix@lemmy.world 3 points 1 week ago

Retail job?

[-] argh_another_username@lemmy.ca 18 points 1 week ago

Sorry to say, I donโ€™t get it.

[-] grrgyle@slrpnk.net 21 points 1 week ago

The original comment wasn't meant to include the person in the picture
This person replied in a way that made it sound like it did (the "joke")
The other people were not amused by this playful rupture of social barriers

[-] alaphic@lemmy.world 10 points 1 week ago

I venture that the other people are - and this is a technical term, so forgive me if I mispronounce it, but - douche canoes

[-] ngdev@lemmy.zip 3 points 6 days ago

the dude is a total weirdo for doing that tbh. im trying to think of any location where this would actually be funny and i cant. like is this at a restaurant?

[-] plyth@feddit.org 3 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago)

It's not the location. He has to be handsome enough in relation to the couple that they humor the intrusion but not too handsome in a way that threatens the bf.

The backfire that OP is feeling comes from him being aware of his unexpectedly low handsomeness level.

[-] ngdev@lemmy.zip 2 points 6 days ago

i think if he looked like sloth from the goonies itd be peak

[-] callouscomic@lemmy.zip 17 points 1 week ago

Tell jokes for yourself. Norm MacDonald style.

Fuck everyone else.

[-] betterdeadthanreddit@lemmy.world 17 points 1 week ago

Nobody bats 1.000. You might catch people on an off day and get a fizzle instead of a bang but they'll forget about it long before you do. Getting a good one to land makes up for it though, people will remember and re-tell them for years if you're lucky. The world ought to be funnier than it is.

[-] JackbyDev@programming.dev 8 points 1 week ago

If you wanna double down in the worst way possible say, "somebody's grumpy this morning!"

Generally I find the best thing to do is to sort of snicker at your own joke to make it clear it was just a little joke then don't say anything else if they didn't react well.

[-] ininewcrow@lemmy.ca 6 points 1 week ago

Keep poking and prodding ..... not with the same people tho

Eventually over time, you'll find people who share the same sense of humor as you.

[-] ivanafterall@lemmy.world 3 points 6 days ago

"Fine, does anybody else want to share their scone with me? Apparently these people aren't in a sharing mood?"

[-] sundray@lemmus.org 5 points 1 week ago
[-] jjjalljs@ttrpg.network 4 points 1 week ago

This format of text over face is kind of weird. I feel like it's the "motivational poster" template of the mid 2020s.

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this post was submitted on 06 Oct 2025
476 points (100.0% liked)

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