[FRIAM] FW: Thread bender

[Steve Smith]

> Here's a dad joke that I've told at Friam a couple of times apologies
> to any reader who heard it from me:
>
> Thor was gathering wood for a fire when his wife ran out and screamed,
> "There's a saber toothed tiger in the cave with mother!". Thor says,
> "Who cares what happens to a saber toothed tiger?"
>
> Some have said that it's a misogynist joke.  I think it's equally down
> putting of both genders.
Not to mention poorly characterizing Gods and prehistoric apex
predators.   I recently read Neil Gaiman's retelling of many of the
Norse Myths in his own very unique voice and I was reminded of the
pleasure of godheads who had acutely human tragedies.

Here's another way I'm apparently anachronistic.   I didn't learn the
term "dad joke" until a few years ago, I'm guessing it had been around a
while by that time.  It seems to simply replace the two tropes of the
"shaggy dog joke" and a "groaner" or simply a "bad" or "not so good" joke.

And that parallel "dad shorts"?   I think that references the generation
that wore their shorts (and pants) relatively tight and short.   The
anachronistic (and British) term "short pants" seems to come closer to
what men wear for shorts now.   Every once in a while I see a photo of a
basketball game before their shorts started dangling below the knee.  
I've never played basketball (since 5th grade?) in anything but cutoffs
or jeans, so I'm not sure, but now *all* basketball shorts look
uncomfortable for one reason or the other.

Nick -

I *did* read your joke and had to struggle a little to fully appreciate
it.   I suppose cat or GW lovers might find it "in bad taste".   Perhaps
what might make it a "dad joke" is that it takes more than a little
thought to untangle the whole thing...  and the punchline once fully
parsed was a minor letdown (aka "groaner").   Neither yours nor Frank's
resorted to the "bad pun" which I believe also fits the category of "dad
joke".     What I presume (also) makes it a "dad joke" is the over-reach
of a dad trying to connect to a kid/grandkid or their friends with a
joke that might be either too simple or too sophisticated or perhaps
just plain dumb?

- Steve