Let’s face it: stupid jokes are not funny. Here at the Bucknellian, we strive to make the most sophisticated jokes possible. No more lowbrow, lowest common denominator jokes for us. 

So what makes a joke stupid or sophisticated? Let’s break it down using some examples.

Punching Down:

Jokes have to be made in good taste, which is why making jokes at the expense of an individual or group who is marginalized – “punching down” – is an example of unsophisticated humor. For example, making a joke about someone in the lower class will make you seem like a jerk, and we want to help you avoid that. Instead of joking about such populations, try joking about someone who is always problematic, like rich people who tell the rest of society that they need to work hard and that it’s their fault that the Earth is dying while they’re off to their fifth house via their five-million dollar yacht. Also, if you are telling jokes onstage, try not to make jokes about your friend’s wife; that friend might just walk up to you and hug you or something similar.

Farts/Bathroom Humor:

Let me paint the picture for you: I’m sitting in the back of my tenth grade English class reading Arthur Miller’s “The Crucible.” Now, why we were reading a boring play about the Salem Witch Trials and people getting hanged, I couldn’t tell you. Essentially, my mind was on everything besides the play and the fact that I was in a classroom. 

That’s why I let out a fart. The classroom was deadly silent, and the only sound that anyone could hear was the permeating, ripping noise that came from… me. 

But then something amazing happened. 

One of the popular kids in my school turns around in his seat and yells “Oh, A-Money!” in my direction. That’s me. I’m no longer just Aaron, I’m A-Money now. 

That story has given me hope, meaning and direction. It has made me who I am, which is wildly different than who I was. And that is why farts and bathroom humor are great examples of sophisticated humor.

So there you have it. I hope that you find these tips helpful and that you keep making fart jokes, which are the most sophisticated form of comedy.