there was a science fiction short story many years ago with "where do jokes come from" as it's premise. It seems to me the answer was they came from aliens who were testing humans...seems plausible, from many of the jokes I hear.

I am a fan of **GOOD** jokes, that is, well-crafted, planned out and reasonable...and they MUST be told correctly, not shortened, changed and done halfway until they are lame. Small details can make a joke work well, and many people are not willing to hone the details until it is 'right'. One of the masters was the comedian Buddy Hackett...he could DELIVER a joke. I don't know if he wrote them himself, but I'll bet he did many of them.

There ARE professional joke writers, though true 'jokes' are getting rarer in favor of 'routines' with one liners and 'social references'.


Now, here is a 'joke'...a self-contained story with a punch line, well crafted and designed. Whether it appeals to YOU is a different matter..*grin*...(I almost got punched in about 1963 for telling an anti-segregation joke in front of a bigot..it was a GOOD joke, though, which is why the guy was so mad)

so.....

"A lady walks into the welfare office, trailed by about 15 kids.

"WOW," the social worker exclaims, "Are they ALL yours???"

"Yes, they're all mine," the tired momma sighs, having heard the question a thousand times already that day.

"Well," says the social worker, "then you must sign up. I'll need all the childrens' names."

"This one here is my oldest - he's Leroy."

"OK, and who's next?"

"Well, this one's Leroy, also."

The social worker raises an eyebrow but continues. One by one, through the oldest four, all boys, all named Leroy. Then she is introduced to the eldest girl, also named Leroy! "All right...I'm seeing a pattern here...are they ALL named Leroy?"

"Well, yes--it's actually really convenient. When it's time for dinner, I just yell 'Leroy!' and they all come running. If I happen to forget the name of the kid who's running into the street, I just yell 'Leroy' and the kid, whoever he is, stops in his tracks. It's the smartest idea I ever had, naming them all Leroy."

The social worker thinks this over for a bit, then wrinkles her forehead and says tentatively, "But what if you just want ONE kid to come, and not the whole bunch?"

"Ah, that's easy," said the mother. "Then I call them by their last names.""