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Vent: My brother-in-law told me his 'foolproof' joke about square roots and I bombed at a family dinner
He said it was perfect for my niece's 8th grade math party. I told the 'why was 6 afraid of 7' joke but added a whole tangent about irrational numbers being afraid of rational ones. 12 people stared at me in complete silence, including my mom who whispered 'are you okay' real loud. Has anyone else had a 'helpful' relative give you joke advice that totally backfired in a group setting?
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bennett.patricia6d agoTop Commenter
That "are you okay" whisper is brutal, I've seen it happen to a buddy of mine. His uncle gave him a "surefire" joke about a mathematician who named his dog Cauchy because it left a residue every time he went outside. He told it at a dinner party his wife's work was hosting and everyone just stared at their plates like they were calculating how to leave early. His wife still brings it up every time someone mentions jokes, and he won't tell a punchline in public anymore.
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Learned this one the hard way myself a few years back. What finally worked for me was keeping jokes short and making sure they fit the room. I stopped trying to be clever with math or science stuff for general audiences. Now I test new jokes on one person first, someone who will be honest with me if it stinks. If it gets a laugh from them, I'll try it at a bigger table. If not, I bury it and move on. Your mom's whisper is a tough memory but it's a good sign you care about hitting the right note next time.
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