TS: letting him down gently vs spoilin the hilarious joke

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i. you say something manifestly obviously false* to be funny
ii. astonishingly, someone thinks you are being serious
iii. carrying on the joke at his/her** expense is plainly MEAN (though also funny) but explaining it seems a. patronising AND b. kinda spoils the original joke :(
iv. is this the quintessential ilx dilemma?***

*for the sake of argument let's say if true it wd make you look like an idiot rather than a monster
**it never has been "her" w.me, though i don't know if this means anything
***i mean, apart from "DELETE ILX NOW: yes or no"

― mark s (mark s), Wednesday, 1 March 2006 13:29 (nineteen years ago)

do it if you're sure they're the sort who would take the joke well

― Sororah T Massacre (blueski), Wednesday, 1 March 2006 13:33 (nineteen years ago)

I think you know what line I take on this, and it is the hardline being plainly MEAN cos it is funny like.

Though oif course I often up the anti on i) by saying things which are plainly false but in a very convincing manner.

― Pete (Pete), Wednesday, 1 March 2006 13:35 (nineteen years ago)

http://news.bbc.co.uk/olmedia/325000/images/_329476_jeremy_beadle150.jpg

― mark s (mark s), Wednesday, 1 March 2006 13:36 (nineteen years ago)

of course beadle IS a monster ftb his hideous withered hand

― mark s (mark s), Wednesday, 1 March 2006 13:36 (nineteen years ago)

These scenarios always make me think of The Office. I've given up sarcasm for Lent.

― Archel (Archel), Wednesday, 1 March 2006 13:39 (nineteen years ago)

what wd of course be redemptively funny is if he wz only "taking me seriously" as a continuation of the joke = the joke is on ME for underating HIS intelligence

― mark s (mark s), Wednesday, 1 March 2006 13:48 (nineteen years ago)

Everyone wins!

― Archel (Archel), Wednesday, 1 March 2006 13:54 (nineteen years ago)

actually i just realised my smug footnote to iii. is, though true online, untrue IRL -- i can think of twice when i made a "surely they can tell this is false" mean joke to a woman friend and their feelings were REALLY hurt and it wz really hard for me to blather my way out of it

but both times were a long time ago and i learned my lesson (i think)

― mark s (mark s), Wednesday, 1 March 2006 13:58 (nineteen years ago)

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