Puns are an expression of words that are used in such a way that creates humor. Puns and jokes are some of the ways people express themselves with the intention of creating humor to engage the audience. In some cases, the audience may not like the jokes. Of course, people will love good funny puns that are not cliché. But in some other cases, the audience may groan at puns and jokes. So why is this the case?
Here are 3 reasons why some people hate puns and jokes.
- Printing
Normally the culture traditionally has been that puns and jokes should be performed orally. But through print media, words have been given specific meanings. This has affected the way the audience perceives jokes and puns. The description of words in dictionaries has set boundaries. In fact, the press insists on the relevance of the jokes and puns. The timing of the jokes and how they fit in context also determines if people will like the pun or not. Some puns and jokes are also so common since they have been printed and recited several times. They become boring and this makes some people hate such jokes. In order for the audience to find humor in puns and jokes, three things must be considered. The jokes must show creativity, they should be original and relevant as well.
- Social media
Many punsters get a lot of criticism on social media. This is mainly through the two major social media avenues; Facebook and Twitter. Some punsters pull down their jokes or puns due to public criticism and outcry of how much they hate the joke. This also kills creativity. The punsters lose their self-confidence and may completely fade away from creating such jokes ever again. They may also be so scared or anxious about public reaction and this only make them incompetent in providing the audience with relevant and funny jokes and puns that they may like. Again in social media, it is unlikely that the pun or joke is targeted at the right audience. It can be a bit tricky to segment the audience. You will find that most people who hate the jokes and puns are not the intended audience.
- Low level of concentration and intellect
Generally, jokes and humor rely on the ability of a person or audience to fully understand the context and complexity of the diction used. As you may have realized, people who hate a certain video game or all video games are usually the people who have no idea how they are played. If you also hate a certain series on TV, most probably, you do not understand the plot. The same case applies to puns and jokes. A certain level of intelligence is required in order to quickly grasp the joke and find humor. In fact, traditionally punsters and people who crack jokes were considered highly intellectual. It is therefore not surprising that people who do not easily grasp the humor in puns and jokes hate them.
Puns and jokes are sources of humor. Punsters should know the right time, the relevant audience and creative ways to present their jokes. This way so many more people will like their puns and jokes. The audience and general public should also show more support and appreciate the role that humor plays in our lives.
