Karma is a weird name…

Joke Poo: Motivation is a Strange Word

They should rename “motivation” to “geterdone”

They should also rename “procrastination” to “laterdone”

They should then also rename “burnout” to “overdone”

But they don’t, and I feel underdone.

Okay, let’s break down this joke:

Core Elements:

• Pun/Wordplay: The entire joke revolves around substituting parts of the word “Reddit” (a popular social media platform) into words related to the platform’s functions: “Karma” becomes “Creddit,” “Share” becomes “Spreaddit,” and “Delete” becomes “Shreddit.”
• Self-Referentiality: The humor is tied to a specific online community and its language. Someone unfamiliar with Reddit wouldn’t understand the wordplay.
• Structure: It follows a simple “A is like B, therefore…” pattern, building anticipation with each substitution, and then subverting it with a mild exasperation.
• Irony: The final line implies the comedian doesn’t understand why the names haven’t been changed, while the audience does (because it would be a silly, nonsensical change).

Interesting Tidbits:

• Karma: The concept of karma originates in Indian religions, specifically Hinduism and Buddhism. It’s the principle that actions influence future experiences. Reddit co-opted the term to represent user reputation on the platform, where upvotes contribute to positive karma and downvotes contribute to negative karma.
• Reddit: Founded in 2005 by Steve Huffman and Alexis Ohanian, Reddit calls itself “the front page of the internet.” It’s known for its diverse communities (subreddits) and user-generated content.
• “Shred”: The word “shred” in its literal sense usually refers to ripping or tearing something into pieces. It also has the modern slang meaning of ‘to perform impressively’ at something like guitar or surfing.

Humorous Enhancement:

Here’s a new joke/observation playing off the original and incorporating some of these tidbits:

Option 1: A New Joke:

You know, Reddit’s karma system is ironic. It’s supposed to reflect the quality of your contributions, like some digital reflection of cosmic justice. But mostly, it just rewards you for making clever puns about renaming platform features. So, if I keep calling “Subreddits” “Breadits” – because who doesn’t love bread? – will my karma spreadit? I shreddit not!

Option 2: A Witty Observation:

Reddit is the only place where you can get absolutely shredded with downvotes for a comment that’s just slightly out of line, and then someone will “spreaddit” to another platform to get more downvotes… Karma is a fickle mistress. Perhaps the only way to truly achieve Reddit Nirvana is to transcend the need for Updhammapadas.

Why these are funny (or at least trying to be):

• Option 1: It continues the pun-based humor while adding a self-aware commentary on the Reddit karma system and the nature of online fame.
• Option 2: It uses the religious basis of Karma and adds in a buddhist reference (Updhammapadas) to poke fun at how seriously people take Reddit.