#11 – Red
(I am attempting to understand,) Ax said truthfully. (I have read the book you gave me – 101 Jokes and Riddles. I understand that humor uses a mixture of wordplay and surprise, in essence. Unexpected answers are funny answers. I understand the concept behind humor – but I fail to see how it can cause humans to laugh and cry. I do not understand a powerful emotional response being triggered by things which are just plain silly.)
"There! You just said it!" Marco exclaimed. "It makes people laugh because it's silly. Life is serious, humor is not. Relief from stress. Get it?"
(No, I do not "get it.")
Marco threw up his hands, exasperated. "What's big, stinky, has wheels and flies?"
(A garbage truck. I realize that this joke uses the surprise factor, in that humans automatically think of soaring through the air when they hear the term "flies." It is in fact a reference to the winged insects you humans seem to hate.)
Marco looked at Ax in disbelief. "And you don't see how that's funny?"
(No.)
Marco shook his head and tried another one. "What's black and white and red all over?"
(A joke based on the phonetic similarity of the words "red" and "read." This joke was also in the book – the answer is printable press. Newspapers, I believe they are called.)
Marco grinned. "Nope. It's a zebra in a blender. Get it?"
Ax just stared with his main eyes. (A zebra cannot fit in a blender.)
"That's why it's funny!"
(…I do not see how.)
"You're hopeless. I give up."
A/N – I really don't want to be pushy or annoying, but if you would like to read more of these snippets, please leave a brief review. I work faster with a little motivation. Thanks in advance!