Painter
Three people had just left the office when they met a painter painting some words on the road. As the three were about to pass by the painter, one person asked the painter, “what’s the word on the street?” this was followed by brief laughter from the friends. On the other hand, the painter replied to the joke with a simple smirk followed by a soft laugh and said, “I don’t know, you tell me.” This was accompanied by brief silence and laughter from the friends while John replied with a polite smile. He wasn’t impressed by the turn the joke had taken. The joke was a one-line joke. It requires a certain extent of knowledge or information for the participants to understand the joke. The painter replies with an observational joke, having noticed John’s suspenders and his resemblance to a police officer.
The joke was told by John, a 30-year, who was popularly known for his love for suspenders. The suspenders and his vast physical stature made him resemble a detective, and he received constant jokes from his friends at the workplace concerning the suspenders. John was a victim of continuous criticism at the workplace, and although he loved jokes, he had gotten tired of the suspender jokes. Such exchanges show the fundamental relationship between jokes and social interaction as even though John did not know the painter, through a joke, the two interacted. It provides a foundation to create positive social relationships like the one John has with the friends.
John and his friends meeting the painter was a coincidence. John and his friends had just left the workplace late evening after a busy day at the office, and they came across the painter who had taken the opportunity of low traffic to do his art. This was when John and his friends met the painter, and a conversation was initiated.
The painter’s reaction to the joke with a smirk and a soft laugh indicated that he understood the joke and its context. His understanding of humor prompted the next cascade of events, initiated by a response by the painter with another joke that was met by a brief moment of silence and then laughter. The brief moment of silence as John’s friends stared at him after the response was a clear sign that the friends were aware John had grown tired of the suspender jokes and also because they did not expect a response to the previous joke. The answer being humorous, Rachel and Mark burst into laughter. John’s reaction to the joke with a smile acknowledged that the joke was nice, but he was tired of the suspender jokes, and to him, they weren’t that amusing anymore.
The joke was meant to create a happy mood through the use of humor. John and his friends were from work after a busy day and which better way to light up the mood than with a joke. On seeing the painter, John saw an opportunity to create a happy atmosphere. A chance to brighten up the mood with humor and John achieved his purpose as the friends went ahead to laugh. They left there with a happy mood, and that was probably the highlight of their day. Jokes can be used to create a positive attitude and make people happy; the painter managed to make John’s friends laugh through his joke, and even though they didn’t know each other, the painter managed to make a difference without knowing it. Such incidences shields individuals from issues such as depression and stress as the joke help get rid of the negative thoughts that may have been lingering in one’s mind after a stressful day.