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#82757 10/04/02 02:10 AM
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It's Official! The World's Funniest Joke

By Cathryn Conroy, Netscape News Editor

Who knew that humor could be quantified and rated? It can because scientists--not comedians--have conducted a year-long research project to find the world's funniest joke. The LaughLab, led by psychologist Dr. Richard Wiseman of the University of Hertfordshire in the United Kingdom, invited people worldwide to post and rate jokes on the Internet. Some 40,000 jokes and two million ratings later, THIS is the winner:

Two hunters are out in the woods when one of them collapses. He doesn't seem to be breathing, and his eyes are glazed. The other guy takes out his phone and calls the emergency services. He gasps: "My friend is dead! What can I do?" The operator says: "Calm down, I can help. First, let's make sure he's dead." There is a silence; then a gunshot is heard. Back on the phone, the guy says: "OK, now what?"

The joke was deemed the world's funniest because it appealed to men and women, young and old, and people in different countries. "Many of the jokes submitted received higher ratings from certain groups of people, but this one had real universal appeal," Wiseman said. Some funny facts:
--Germany: Every joke was funny.
--Ireland, U.K., Australia, New Zealand: Liked word plays.
--France, Denmark, Belgium: Preferred off-beat surreal humor.


{NOTE FROM ME: wouldn't it just go to figure that the joke voted funniest by an international poll would, in accordance with human nature, be violent!?)




#82758 10/04/02 02:32 AM
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>well, for the contrarians among us, what came thirteenth?

EDIT - this site doesn't tell us which joke came 13th, but it does claim to reveal Wales' choice:
[long link deleted--see Juan's link below]

#82759 10/04/02 06:12 AM
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According to Ted (or was it CapK) all jokes have a butt.

So, any guesses who the butt of this joke is?


#82760 10/04/02 06:19 AM
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On the subject of wordplay, I spotted this one:

A girl from Texas and a girl from New York were seated side by side on an airplane. The girl from Texas, being friendly and all, said: “So, where y’all from?”

The girl from New York said: “From a place where they know better than to use a preposition at the end of a sentence.”

The girl from Texas sat quietly for a few moments and then replied: “So, where y’all from, BITCH?”


#82761 10/04/02 12:30 PM
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Not a guess at all. When I told that story here (and before I submitted it as an entry in the competition, for which I got NO credit) I told it as the two West Virginians who were hunting. The butt of the joke is the guy who shoots, because he's portrayed as really stupid. If you add the ethnicity, it's obvious.



TEd
#82762 10/05/02 03:30 PM
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Virginians have ethnicity?


#82763 10/05/02 11:07 PM
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No, but WEST Virginians do,



TEd
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Virginians have FFVs. The Pseudo-Aristocratics.


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Virginians have FFVs

Fast Flying Vestibules?

Yonder comes the FFV
The swiftest on the line.
Comin out a Danville
Twenty minutes behind.

or summat like that.

Oh, and tsuwm. You wanna shorten up the link a wee tad?


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>You wanna shorten up the link a wee tad?

I have no' registered for makeashorterlink but I just dont get it: my browser breaks it up into two lines..


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