I'm Better Than That Joke!

For most people, referring to a joke as “corny” simply characterizes it as “bad” or “stupid”; however, the word corny has much deeper implications. We should look at the word more closely to better understand what laughing at a “corny” joke not only says about the joke, but also reveals about us.

The Oxford English Dictionary defines corny as “rustic or unsophisticated; hackneyed, trite; inferior”. While each of these definitions would make for an interesting analysis, I would like to draw your attention to the last definition.  The word “inferior” resounds with the idea that a “corny joke” is a “bad joke”, but the difference between “inferior” and “bad” highlights a key distinction in our analysis of corny jokes. While defining a joke as bad simply casts it in a negative light compared to other jokes, the term inferior suggests a feeling of superiority that the person hearing the joke feels while hearing a corny joke. Let me tell you a joke:

“How do you stop a rhinoceros from charging?”

“Take away his credit card!”

            Let’s pretend you laughed. It is possible that you are laughing at the extreme level of humor present in that joke, or even at my incredible wit, but most likely this is not the case. Few people would argue against the claim that this is indeed a corny joke, and therefore an “inferior” joke. In most cases, the reason a person tells a joke is because he or she finds it funny and assumes that the listeners will find the joke funny as well. By calling a joke corny, or “inferior”, the listeners indicate a feeling of superiority over the person telling the joke. They see themselves as being superior to the person telling the corny joke because their level of humor, intellect, or taste is at a higher level than the person who believes the joke to be funny. The listeners could also view themselves as superior to the joke itself, because they feel that the level of the joke is beneath them. Additionally, after hearing “how do you stop a rhinoceros from charging?” most people would not immediately think of “taking away his credit card” as a response, and would start thinking of more complex solutions to the problem. However, once the punch line has been stated, the obviousness of the answer might make a listener feel superior to their former self that was floundering for a solution to this now easily-answered question. 

            Each of these forms of superiority could explain the tendency to laugh at such corny jokes without drawing on any sort of humor within the joke itself. By suggesting that we understand the meaning of “corny” to be “inferior”, the Oxford English Dictionary has provided us with the possibility that we laugh at corny jokes not because of their inherent funniness, but because of a feeling of superiority over the joke, the person telling the joke, or our former selves.