Why does the chicken cross the road?
Nick Bensema
Q: Why did the chicken cross the road?
A: To get to the other side!
I heard this when I was three years old. I didn't get it.
I heard it from my two-year-old brother, I think.
Maybe if I were 5 years old, I would have caught the subtle irony that
the question, in fact, referred to the cause and not the effect. But I
was 3 years old, and it totally went over my head. Perhaps there are
some seven-year-olds out there who are so jaded by the childish jokes
that made them laugh, that now is the time to spring this joke upon them.
It could have also been because my brother wasn't exactly the best in
the world at talking and stuff. I remember hearing the answer, maybe
understanding that it ended in "the other side"... Actually, I wasn't
the best at listening, either, because I used to listen to lots of silly
cassette tapes back then and "the other side" had more connotations of
"of the tape" than "of the road" so I couldn't parse what he was saying
properly. And we both got extremely frustrated.
Perhaps the joke was invented before Mark Twain's time and was considered
the supreme accomplishment of French wit in the mid-1820s. But it's the
20.5th-century Internet now, and I want to know what the deal is.
I'd like to know, though.... was there ever anyone, ANYONE, that you know
or have heard about, at any age, who heard this joke and laughed as a
result?
If not... why is it considered a joke? Why does it still propogate?
And where did it originate?
--
Nick Bensema <ni...@io.com> ICQ#2135445
~~~~ ~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
rob...@bestweb.net
>There is a joke that goes like this:
>Q: Why did the chicken cross the road?
>A: To get to the other side!
>If not... why is it considered a joke? Why does it still propogate?
>~~~~ ~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It's the same type of joke as the one about Microsoft with the line, "You
are in a helicopter." A trivial answer.
The set-up is that you are to receive some bit of information, a solution to
a mystery. The punch line reveals that the information you receive is
trivial and obvious.
Why does a fireman wear red suspenders? To hold up his pants.
Robert
Net-Tamer V 1.11 - Registered
StarChaser <Anti spam feature in address.>
>It's the same type of joke as the one about Microsoft with the line, "You
>are in a helicopter." A trivial answer.
Heard another version of that...After the lost person announces that
the one he queried is an engineer / works for MS, the other says 'You
must be in management. You don't know where you are, you don't know
where you're going, you're in the same shape you were in before you
met me and now it's my fault'.
--
Visit the Furry Artist InFURmation Page! Contact information,
and information on which artists do and do not want their
work posted!
http://home.icubed.net/starchsr/table.htm
Address munged for the inconvienence of spammers:
My address is starchsr <at> icubed dot net
Sean Houtman
>Nick Bensema wrote:
>
>[...]
>> If not... why is it considered a joke? Why does it still propogate?
>
>Because the aliens have not finished their experiment yet?
>
>> And where did it originate?
>
>See Asimov.
Asimov? He wrote over 500 books, which one should we look in? Is it in one of
his Fantasy & Science Fiction essays? He wrote 499 of them, which one could it
be?
Sean
Carlos Froggy
: I'd like to know, though.... was there ever anyone, ANYONE, that you know
: or have heard about, at any age, who heard this joke and laughed as a
: result?
Glad to be of assistance: YES!
At about the age of 10, I was talking to a friend of similar age,
and made a reference to the "the chicken crossed the road joke"
as the classic example of lame old humor. To my surprise the
aquaintance wasn't familiar with the reference. So I told him
the joke. And he laughed.
Happy to have answered this question that has no doubt been
keeping you up at night for years,
-- Froggy
"The Official Frog Related Internet
Personality of the Millennium"
* Fro...@neosoft.com ** "The Information Super-Frog" [dibs] *
http://www.angelfire.com/la/carlosmay/
Geoduck
It was one of his short stories, in which he postulated that all jokes
are introduced into humanity by some outside force as an experiment.
In the story, one of the characters realizes this, thus rendering the
experiment invalid. As soon as the truth is realized, all jokes
disappear from humanity's collective mind.
--
Geoduck
geo...@usa.net
http://www.olywa.net/cook
Dana Carpender
Sophelyn wrote:
> Sean Houtman wrote:
>
> > >From: Sophelyn soph...@fzbzet.zet
> > >See Asimov.
> >
> > Asimov? He wrote over 500 books, which one should we look in? Is it in one of
> > his Fantasy & Science Fiction essays? He wrote 499 of them, which one could it
> > be?
>
> Tsk tsk... You must read them all.
Today.
--
Dana W. Carpender
Author, How I Gave Up My Low Fat Diet -- And Lost Forty Pounds!
http://www.holdthetoast.com
Check out our FREE Low Carb Ezine!
And knowing is half the battle
A: Because he was dead.
Rich Clancey
+ There is a joke that goes like this:
+ Q: Why did the chicken cross the road?
+ A: To get to the other side!
+ I heard this when I was three years old. I didn't get it.
+ I heard it from my two-year-old brother, I think.
+ Maybe if I were 5 years old, I would have caught the subtle irony that
+ the question, in fact, referred to the cause and not the effect. But I
+ was 3 years old, and it totally went over my head. Perhaps there are
+ some seven-year-olds out there who are so jaded by the childish jokes
+ that made them laugh, that now is the time to spring this joke upon them.
+ It could have also been because my brother wasn't exactly the best in
+ the world at talking and stuff. I remember hearing the answer, maybe
+ understanding that it ended in "the other side"... Actually, I wasn't
+ the best at listening, either, because I used to listen to lots of silly
+ cassette tapes back then and "the other side" had more connotations of
+ "of the tape" than "of the road" so I couldn't parse what he was saying
+ properly. And we both got extremely frustrated.
It's clear that since the advent of Sesame Street, three year
olds are not learning the distinction between proximate and ultimate
causes. Somebody should do something about this.
--
:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:
rich clancey r...@world.std.com rcla...@massart.edu
"The troublesome ones in a family are usually
either the wits or the idiots."
- George Eliot -
:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:
Matthew W. Miller
>Sophelyn wrote:
>> Sean Houtman wrote:
>> > >From: Sophelyn soph...@fzbzet.zet
>> > >See Asimov.
>> > Asimov? He wrote over 500 books, which one should we look in? Is it
>> > in one of his Fantasy & Science Fiction essays? He wrote 499 of them,
>> > which one could it be?
>> Tsk tsk... You must read them all.
>Today.
At noon.
(I suspect Sean's going to say "I've already read several of his
books, you goon. I just wanted a hint as to which one you're referring
to!" But that's been dealt with, albeit vaguely, elsewhere in the
thread.)
--
Matthew W. Miller -- ma...@infinet.com
Matthew W. Miller
>It was one of his short stories, in which he postulated that all jokes
[ spoilers snipped ]
That would be "The Jokester". See publishing info at
<http://www.clark.net/pub/edseiler/WWW/sf_fantasy_story_list.html#Jokester>.
Joseph Nebus
>There is a joke that goes like this:
> Q: Why did the chicken cross the road?
> A: To get to the other side!
>I'd like to know, though.... was there ever anyone, ANYONE, that you know
>or have heard about, at any age, who heard this joke and laughed as a
>result?
By sheer coincidence I was reading the Sunday, July 27, 1919
edition of "Krazy Kat," by renowned cartoonist George Herriman, and
in the course of events -- Ignatz and several other mice attempt to
catch oysters, for a meal, and Krazy accidentally frees them -- this
joke is referred to, though not explicitly said.
"And so, you see now, fellas -- just why the chicken crossed
the road" -- prompting the oysters, "these mild minded children of
the sea, susceptible to humor, [to] give vent to unrestrained laughter,
wide, and open" their mouths, letting the mice prop them open with
twigs (so they can't flee to the sea to escape, lest they drown).
So by 1919 the chicken-crossing-the-road joke was well known
and apparently in its present form of a joke everyone would recognize
as a joke, and one not so amusing as to intrude with the real storyline.
Joseph Nebus
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Now, the best laugh I ever heard from my mom came after I told
her the "Two guys walked into a bar. The third one ducked" line. My
dad didn't get it until the third time through.
Big David
news:Fo155...@world.std.com...
<snip chicken crossing road tales>
> It's clear that since the advent of Sesame Street, three year
> olds are not learning the distinction between proximate and ultimate
> causes. Somebody should do something about this.
They are....sadly, more and more law schools are opened every year.
Maybe they could be filled with these Sesame Street rejects....wait,
what am I saying? They already are!
--
Big David
"Commit a little mortal sin. It's good for your soul."
To reply, remove spambait
David DeLaney
>Glad to be of assistance: YES!
Thank you! I can -never- remember what that stands for, for some reason!
I can decode other acronyms in my sleep... but somehow that one falls
in between Hivemind-server files somehow.
Dave "and I'll undoubtedly forget again by tomorrow - OH NO! The Y2AM bug!"
DeLaney
--
\/David DeLaney posting from d...@vic.com "It's not the pot that grows the flower
It's not the clock that slows the hour The definition's plain for anyone to see
Love is all it takes to make a family" - R&P. VISUALIZE HAPPYNET VRbeable<BLINK>
http://panacea.phys.utk.edu/~dbd/ - net.legends FAQ/ I WUV you in all CAPS! --K.
Paul L. Madarasz
half the battle) wrote:
>Q: Why was the farmer buried on the hill?
>
>A: Because he was dead.
>
Q: What did Tarzan say when he saw the elephants charging through the
jungle?
A: Here come the elephants.
Paul L. Madarasz
Sean Houtman
>> > Asimov? He wrote over 500 books, which one should we look in? Is it in
>one of
>> > his Fantasy & Science Fiction essays? He wrote 499 of them, which one
>could it
>> > be?
>>
>> Tsk tsk... You must read them all.
>
>Today.
I've already read several of the books and a bunch of the essays, do I have to
reread those?
Sean
Gary S. Callison
: On 08 Jan 2000 17:17:40 GMT, lot...@aol.comaol.com. wrote:
: >Q: Why was the farmer buried on the hill?
: >A: Because he was dead.
: Q: What did Tarzan say when he saw the elephants charging through the
: jungle?
: A: Here come the elephants.
I can remember a friend's two year old getting a lot of mileage out of:
Knock knock!
Who's there?
Orange.
Orange who?
Orange you glad I didn't say banana?
When you're two, this is one of the funniest jokes _ever_.
One of the yardsticks I use to test for "have you been awake too long?" is
something I call "The Stupid Joke test". Read the following out loud
very quickly. If you laugh at any of these, you need to go to bed now, no
matter how urgent the crisis you're working on may seem. You've reached
the point where you're not helping the problem by delaying sleep any
longer.
Q: What's yellow and black and lies on it's side?
A: A dead schoolbus.
Q: What's yellow and black and full of crispy critters?
A: A fried schoolbus.
Q: What's big and red and eats rocks?
A: A Big Red Rock-Eater.
Q: What do Big Red Rock-Eaters eat?
A: Too much.
Q: Why is shit tapered at the ends?
A: So your asshole doesn't slam shut.
If you smile even a little, you're getting goofy. If you laugh, you've
passed 'goofy' and gone straight to 'zany, nutty, and stupid'.
--
Huey
Opus the Penguin
>Q: What did Tarzan say when he saw the elephants charging through the
>jungle?
>
>A: Here come the elephants.
No, no, no.
Q: What's the difference between an elephant and a plum?
A: Their color.
Q: What did Tarzan say when he saw the elephants coming?
A: Here come the elephants.
Q: What did Jane say?
A: Here come the plums. (She was colorblind.)
and...
Q: What did the afca-er say?
A: Women are statistically much less likely to be colorblind. The joke would
be more plausible if _Tarzan_ were the one who said "Here come the plums."
--
Opus the Plum
Opus the Penguin
>Q: What did Tarzan say when he saw the elephants charging through the
>jungle?
>
>A: Here come the elephants.
Q: How do you kill a blue elephant?
A: Shoot him with a blue shotgun.
Q: How do you kill a red elephant?
A: Twist his trunk until he turns blue. Then shoot him with a blue shotgun.
Ba-DUM. I got a million of 'em! I'll be here all night, folks!
--
Opus the Blue Penguin
Dennis Matheson
>Q: What did Tarzan say when he saw the elephants charging through the
>jungle?
>
>A: Here come the elephants.
>
Q: What did Timmy say when he saw the elephants charging through the jungle?
A: Here come the grapes! (Timmy was color blind)
Q: How do you stop elephants from charging?
A: Take away their credit cards.
Q: What do you get when you cross an elephant with a grape?
A: Elephant Grape sin(theta)
Don't get me started...
--
"Drink your coffee! Remember, there are sleeping people in China!"
Dennis Matheson --- den...@mountaindiver.com
Hike, Dive, Ski, Climb --- http://www.mountaindiver.com
Amy Elizabeth Gleason
"Paul L. Madarasz" wrote:
>
> On 08 Jan 2000 17:17:40 GMT, lot...@aol.comaol.com. (And knowing is
> half the battle) wrote:
>
> >Q: Why was the farmer buried on the hill?
> >
> >A: Because he was dead.
> >
> Q: What did Tarzan say when he saw the elephants charging through the
> jungle?
>
> A: Here come the elephants.
I always thought the chicken crossed the road because he was stapled to
the giraffe.
Hmmmm...
L & k,
Amy
David O'Bedlam, Ersatz Haderach
Hash: SHA1
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Sean Houtman
>
>I can remember a friend's two year old getting a lot of mileage out of:
>Knock knock!
>Who's there?
>Orange.
>Orange who?
>Orange you glad I didn't say banana?
>
>When you're two, this is one of the funniest jokes _ever_.
It works better when prefaced with:
Knock, knock!
Who's there?
Banana.
Banana who?
Knock, knock!
Who's there?
Banana.
Banana who?
Knock, knock!
Who's there?
Banana.
Banana who?
Knock, knock!
Who's there?
Banana.
Banana who?
(By this time, your victim is getting pretty irritated)
Sean
Kathleen Fuller
: I always thought the chicken crossed the road because he was stapled to
: the giraffe.
No, no, no!
Q: Why did the punk rocker cross the road?
A: He was safety-pinned to the chicken...
[Sorry, couldn't resist. Then again, I just failed "The Stupid Joke
test", so I ought to be asleep.]
--Coeli
co...@prairienet.org "If... you can't be a good example,
then you'll just have to be a horrible
warning." Catherine Aird, _His Burial_
AskNott
line.
--AskNott
"Think spelling isn't importart? Go call a biker a piker... and get back to
me."
David Stone
> From: ask...@aol.comfidgety8 (AskNott)
> Organization: AOL http://www.aol.com
> Newsgroups: alt.fan.cecil-adams
> Date: 21 Jan 2000 23:07:18 GMT
> Subject: Re: Why does the chicken cross the road?
Spelling is extremely importart.