Why did the chicken...

Re: Why did the chicken... (by siiky)

I love references to this little joke so much. It has a special place in my heart, as it is emblematic of many wonder things which I will struggle to articulate through indirect means. The joke, of course is

> Q: Why did the chicken cross the road?

> A: To get to the other side.

Before reading my garbled mess of thought, take a second to pause and appreicate this joke.

Okay, here's my garbled mess:

It's so common and simple in its core idea that you probably think nothing of it. To kill the idea by saying it out loud, it plays with our assumptions of what a question should be by asking a question which implies some kind of unusual or meaningful answer, but 'surprises' us by being a simple statement which is so obvious as to be overlooked as a potential answer. It is a joke because it violates the cooperative conversational principles. It is also maybe not very funny; it has been defended as 'anti-humor' but I think that's just another way of saying not funny.

According to Wikipedia, the earliest version of this joke was found in 𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝐾𝑛𝑖𝑐𝑘𝑒𝑟𝑏𝑜𝑐𝑘𝑒𝑟 magazine in the year in 1847.

> There are 'quips and quillets' which seem actual conundrums, but yet are none. Of such is this: 'Why does a chicken cross the street? Are you 'out of town?' Do you 'give it up?' Well, then: 'Because it wants to get on the other side!'

Apparently the joke was originally popularized by minstrel shows. Who know's if that's true, but anyway...

The second level

This joke starts to become really magical once it's been established as a nationally iconic generic joke. Now we can make other jokes based on it:

> Q: Why did the dinosaur cross the road?

> A: Because chickens hadn't been invented yet.

or

> Q: Why did the chewing gum cross the road?

> A: Because it was stuck to the chicken's foot.

We can also make meme-format quote picture thingies on Pinterest which show a picture of a chicken crossing the road and have the timeless Oliver Markus Malloy quote:

> I dream of a world where chickens can cross the road without having their motives questioned.

I don't know if you like this joke yet. I'm not sure if I do anymore. Is it actually just really bad, along with all of its derivatives? Should we just make fun of its undeserved popularity?

> Q: Why did the chicken cross the road?

> A: To knock-knock on the door, walk into a bar, and screw in a lightbulb.

Level Three: Ultimate Chicken Joke Appreciation

Since you've gotten this far, it's time to reveal a secret. The original chicken joke was the funniest joke of them all. It's a double meaning, concealing a dark edgy suicide joke under an innocent exterior. Do you see it?

If your socks aren't blown away by now...

One last time, with reverence:

> Q: Why did the chicken cross the road?

> A: To get to the other side.

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