Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Joke Stealing? Really?

Have you ever repeated a joke that you first heard from a friend? Seems like a pretty benevolent action, right? Maybe even a flattering gesture, no? Well, what if your friend accused you of “stealing” his or her joke? How would you respond?

I think that jokes, unless written down and subject to copyright laws, are total public domain…once the words are released from one’s mouth, they are floating in the world, waiting to be consumed by the masses, who, let’s face it…in the state of this world, are hungry for laughter.

All I have to say to those of you who are selfish with your jokes is…don’t be stingy…let your humor feed the world…

2 comments:

Josh Treece said...

I could not disagree with this post more. The problem isn't with the repetition of a joke, the problem is with claiming that it was one of your own original thoughts (whether by stating this or by allowing others to think it on their own).

Boo.

Jon V. said...

Those sound like the words of someone who cannot come up with their own jokes and therefore must steal from other people. Any how I generally agree but you cannot say the joke in front of the person unless they tell you to say it. Otherwise they have domain when they are around.