I bought a book about memes, and it wasn’t funny at all

Okay, here’s my attempt:

Joke Poo: I bought a plunger and it just made things worse.

I bought a book on self-help and it wasn’t helpful at all. That Tony Robbins guy better not quit his day job.

Alright, let’s break down this joke:

Deconstruction:

• Setup: “I bought a book about memes, and it wasn’t funny at all.” – This establishes the expectation that a book about memes should be funny, since memes themselves are usually intended to be humorous. The disappointment is the core of the humor.
• Punchline: “That Richard Dawkins guy better not quit his day job.” – This implies Richard Dawkins, the evolutionary biologist, wrote the unfunny book. The humor comes from:
  • Juxtaposition: Dawkins is known for his scientific work and coining the term “meme” (in a very different context than internet memes).
  • Incompetence Association: The punchline suggests Dawkins is bad at understanding or creating humorous internet memes, therefore shouldn’t pursue a career shift.
  • Understatement/Sarcasm: The idea that an entire book of memes could fail to be funny is itself slightly absurd.

Key Elements:

• “Meme” (Internet Definition): Short, often humorous, internet-based content.
• Richard Dawkins: Scientist, coined the original term “meme” to describe cultural transmission of ideas.
• Incongruity: The clash between Dawkins’ scientific persona and the expectation of comedic meme expertise.

Humorous Enrichment:

Here are a few options, playing with the elements above:

1. New Joke:

I saw Richard Dawkins promoting his new book on internet memes. He held up a picture of the Distracted Boyfriend meme and deadpanned, “Ah yes, the ‘male human is observed experiencing cognitive dissonance regarding partner fidelity due to external stimuli.’ Groundbreaking stuff, really.” I think I need a meme explaining that meme.

Why it works:

• Builds on the incongruity by having Dawkins use overly academic language to describe a simple meme.
• Creates humor through the unexpected and inappropriate application of scientific vocabulary.
• Highlights the original joke’s premise that a scientifically-minded person might miss the point of internet humor.

2. Witty Observation:

Fun fact: Richard Dawkins probably rolls his eyes every time someone misuses “meme” to mean “funny picture with text on it.” He envisioned it as a unit of cultural information, replicating and evolving! Imagine his frustration at a poorly-formatted Impact font caption. He probably sees it as a devolution of the meme concept.

Why it works:

• Amuses by personifying Dawkins’ reaction to the common internet usage of “meme.”
• Uses the factual background of the word “meme” to create a relatable (and slightly pretentious) comedic scenario.
• The exaggeration adds to the humor.

3. “Did You Know?” (Amusing Twist):

Did you know that Richard Dawkins’ original concept of a “meme” was partly inspired by genetics? He saw cultural ideas as acting like genes, competing for survival in the “mind pool.” So, if you think about it, every time a new meme format dies, it’s essentially cultural natural selection. RIP Harambe.

Why it works:

• Presents a factual connection (the link between Dawkins’ meme concept and genetics) in a lighthearted way.
• Ties the theoretical with the pop-cultural (the death of a meme format).
• Adding “RIP Harambe” as the example is topical and ironically funny, considering the serious context of its original cultural significance.

Essentially, all of these extensions work by exploiting the initial surprise and comedic potential inherent in the combination of Richard Dawkins and internet memes. They either imagine new scenarios or provide contextual insights that amplify the original joke’s humor.