Taking the joke too far
"[insert witty comment]"
"[insert witty addendum to comment]"
"[insert further follow-on to joke]"
"[insert 50 responses like this]"
"Bit far, don'tcha think?"
"[insert comment that ignores the above]"
... Yeah there's a point where a joke stops being a joke. There comes a point where it's been carried on so far that it becomes chillingly close to being serious. This is bad. Nobody is serious about it, but nobody remembered that the joke's suposed to stop at some point.
The problem is that when a couple people get a banter going on, everyone wants to get involved. Everyone wants their moment in the spotlight. But when 5 people or more are crowded under it, that's when there is no more spotlight and you're no funnier than the person who didn't even bother to contribute. And that person's better off.
A joke is funnier when it's kept relatively short. If you dilute the joke too much it stops being funny. Further than that it isn't a joke at all anymore. The people who started it suddenly wonder why they bothered and if they should bother again. The experience is ruined and everyone goes home crying, and nothing gets into valhalla.
Shame on you! *gripe gripe gripe*
However it's not all lost! There is a way you can save a joke when you see it. This might be a bit much, it might not settle all that well with you, but hear me out! Trust me, you'll feel better for it later;
Don't follow up the joke.
It's a tough thing to do, I know. I find writing the response and then not hitting 'post' is sometimes really difficult, and you start to wonder if maybe you should. But tough it out! Save that thing to clip-board and press that back button. Let the joke sit a little first. And who knows! Maybe someone else will get there before you do! A shame, in a way, but when that happens, if the joke goes to pot you can wipe your brow and sit back knowing you weren't the one to crash that blimp.
This same method can also apply to heated debates, responses to obvious trolls, sharp rebuttals to shallow character sniping, and seeing a topic that should probably be locked by the moderators.
Give hanging-on a try. It's weird, but you won't be disappointed.
"[insert witty comment]"
"[insert witty addendum to comment]"
"[insert further follow-on to joke]"
"[insert 50 responses like this]"
"Bit far, don'tcha think?"
"[insert comment that ignores the above]"
... Yeah there's a point where a joke stops being a joke. There comes a point where it's been carried on so far that it becomes chillingly close to being serious. This is bad. Nobody is serious about it, but nobody remembered that the joke's suposed to stop at some point.
The problem is that when a couple people get a banter going on, everyone wants to get involved. Everyone wants their moment in the spotlight. But when 5 people or more are crowded under it, that's when there is no more spotlight and you're no funnier than the person who didn't even bother to contribute. And that person's better off.
A joke is funnier when it's kept relatively short. If you dilute the joke too much it stops being funny. Further than that it isn't a joke at all anymore. The people who started it suddenly wonder why they bothered and if they should bother again. The experience is ruined and everyone goes home crying, and nothing gets into valhalla.
Shame on you! *gripe gripe gripe*
However it's not all lost! There is a way you can save a joke when you see it. This might be a bit much, it might not settle all that well with you, but hear me out! Trust me, you'll feel better for it later;
Don't follow up the joke.
It's a tough thing to do, I know. I find writing the response and then not hitting 'post' is sometimes really difficult, and you start to wonder if maybe you should. But tough it out! Save that thing to clip-board and press that back button. Let the joke sit a little first. And who knows! Maybe someone else will get there before you do! A shame, in a way, but when that happens, if the joke goes to pot you can wipe your brow and sit back knowing you weren't the one to crash that blimp.
This same method can also apply to heated debates, responses to obvious trolls, sharp rebuttals to shallow character sniping, and seeing a topic that should probably be locked by the moderators.
Give hanging-on a try. It's weird, but you won't be disappointed.
