(Inside Jokes)
Brooke Skiba
You know those moments when you are the outsider in a particular group — maybe you’re the only computer science major at a table full of English/Education people, or the only person wearing sneakers in a group of people wearing boots. You’re fitting in just fine, and your peers do not acknowledge your differences. But suddenly something happens — one of your friends stops at a particular word or phrase in a sentence and looks around at the group with a knowing grin. Everyone else catches on to this apparent moment of hilarity, and soon the whole group is roaring with laughter while you’re left nervously laughing along, bewildered. In that moment, you witnessed an inside joke.
However, inside jokes are not always alienating. The jokes are often a great way to bring people together. Once you’ve laughed at some obscure phrase like “awkward cheeseburger” that no one but you and another friend understand, you’ve formed a bond that’s literally deeper than words. Inside jokes have the power to turn instances of silliness, and sometimes stupidity, into a moment of sheer cleverness when you find the right time to apply the moment to a conversation. They allow people with common interests to have their own secret language of humor that forms a bond between its native speakers.
These jokes also have the power to bring together entire populations of people. Collective inside jokes often involve the use of a catch phrase, such as “that’s what she said” or “first world problems.” The majority of people are on the “inside” of these jokes, but much of the jokes’ hilarity still stems from the feeling of being included in a community of people who tell and understand the joke. Collective inside jokes, like inside jokes in general, put you at less of a risk of being in an awkward situation created by telling a joke that no one understands.
Inside jokes between best friends can often be the cleverest and most entertaining. Most often, these jokes don’t even involve words at all. You may hear a professor say a particular word, such as “conceive,” which you and your best friend have an inside joke about, and you immediately give each other “the look” and laugh. Some friends have so many inside jokes with one another that an outsider may only hear a string of illogical words and phrases while the friends are carrying on a lengthy, meaningful conversation.
But the biggest downfall of inside jokes, other than being left out of one, is forgetting the signifying moment which created an inside joke. There is nothing more embarrassing than saying a horribly awkward phrase and having your friends fail to understand the logic behind it. It’s uncomfortable to forget an inside joke, just as it when a quality moment of humor is forever lost on you. So I urge you to remember every significant moment in your life so you can be ready for any and every inside joke a friend might throw your way.