The advent of social media has provoked a surge in the circulation of scenario-based jokes. You know the type, the supposedly true story where something whimsical happened, often told in the first person.
The trouble with many of these is that the authors almost always have zero understanding of the concept and construct of a joke, or, more specifically, a punchline, so they always tag a little bit on the end that is completely unnecessary and shifts the focus beyond the punchline to a cringe-worthy finish.
For example:
An ugly woman asked me for my number in the bar the other night.
"Do you have a pen?", I ask.
"I sure do" she replies.
"Well" I said, "you'd better get back in it before the farmer notices you're missing"
My dental surgery is on Monday.
The last line is pointless, totally superfluous. The line before it is the punchline, and thus the end of the joke. But somehow they seem to think the "dental surgery" addendum is the funny part, the line to end on.
The wife is always reading me these things out when they appear on her Facebook. You can spot the writing style a mile off, and just know it's going to end beyond where it should, so while she's laughing away I'm just cringing.
While we're on the subject, if you find the need to tag "joke" on to the end of what is meant to be a humourous comment, it's odds-on that the comment itself isn't actually funny. It's either funny or it isn't; if it is, it doesn't need "joke" adding to the end as clarification. If it isn't, sticking "joke" on the end won't make it so.
So, if you're going to bother writing and sharing a joke, take the time to understand what a joke is first, and crucially, where it should end.
