Conditional joke
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A conditional joke is a
joke A joke is a display of humour in which words are used within a specific and well-defined narrative structure to make people laugh and is usually not meant to be interpreted literally. It usually takes the form of a story, often with dialogue, ...
meant for a qualified audience only. If a joke requires from the audience a certain knowledge or a belief, then Ted Cohen calls such jokes ''hermetic''. Possessing prior knowledge and understanding of the topic, which in turn enables them to understand the joke. Such ability is also called the prerequisite condition for laughter. Conditional jokes often depend on the internalized negative stereotypes held by the audience toward a targeted group of people. Such affective disposition can also explain the persistence of
ethnic jokes An ethnic joke is a remark aiming at humor relating to an ethnic, racial or cultural group, often referring to an ethnic stereotype of the group in question for its punchline. Perceptions of ethnic jokes are ambivalent. Christie Davies gives e ...
in multicultural societies. Although they can be understood by many, the conditional jokes usually don't make ridiculed individuals
laugh Laughter is a pleasant physical reaction and emotion consisting usually of rhythmical, usually audible contractions of the diaphragm and other parts of the respiratory system. It is a response to certain external or internal stimuli. Laug ...
at the
punch line A punch line (also punch-line or punchline) concludes a joke; it is intended to make people Laughter, laugh. It is the third and final part of the Joke#Telling jokes, typical joke structure. It follows the introductory framing of the joke and th ...
. The most common type of conditional jokes, which target the jargon and all topics specific to professions and occupations, include the doctor jokes (surgeons, internists, psychiatrists, etc.), the lawyers and politicians, musicians, and the rabbi jokes among many. Other ''hermetic'' jokes which target ethnicity include
Polish joke A Polish joke is an English-language ethnic joke deriding Polish people, based on derogatory stereotypes. The Polish joke belongs in the category of conditional jokes, whose full understanding requires the audience to have prior knowledge of wha ...
s made in the US, Irish jokes made in England, Ukrainian jokes made in Russia,
Newfie ''Newfie'' (also ''Newf'' or sometimes ''Newfy'') is a colloquial term used by Canadians and others for someone who is from Newfoundland. Many Newfoundlanders consider "Newfie" a slur first used by American and Canadian military forces statione ...
jokes made in Canada,
Sardarji joke Sardarji jokes or Sardar jokes are a class of religious jokes based on stereotypes of Sikhs (who use the title of "Sardar", with -ji being an honorific). Although jokes about other religious, ethnic, and linguistic communities are found in va ...
s made in India,
Russian jokes Russian jokes () are short fictional stories or dialogs with a punch line, which commonly appear in Russian humor. Russian joke culture includes a series of categories with fixed settings and characters. Russian jokes treat topics found everywher ...
about ethnicities, Texas jokes, Jewish jokes made by non-Jews, the Black people jokes, and numerous others.


See also

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In-joke An in-joke, also known as an inside joke or a private joke, is a joke with humour that is understandable only to members of an ingroup; that is, people who are ''in'' a particular social group, occupation, or other community of shared interest ...
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Ethnic stereotype An ethnic stereotype or racial stereotype involves part of a system of beliefs about typical characteristics of members of a given ethnic group, their status, societal and cultural norms. A national stereotype does the same for a given nation ...
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An Englishman, an Irishman and a Scotsman "An Englishman, an Irishman and a Scotsman" is the opening line of a category of joke cycle popular in Ireland and the United Kingdom. The nationalities involved may vary, though they are usually restricted to those within Ireland and the UK, and ...
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Stereotype In social psychology, a stereotype is a generalization, generalized belief about a particular category of people. It is an expectation that people might have about every person of a particular group. The type of expectation can vary; it can ...


References

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