There is a certain kind of joke my father likes to tell, where he will say something outrageous that we all recognize as wildly out of character. "Ha ha, Pop," we will laugh, "you are so silly." I hadn't thought about it before, but of course I like to tell exactly the same kind of joke, I'd just never realized my dad and I were so similar in that respect. Now if you think about it, this is a pretty risky brand of humor. Very poor cost/benefit ratio. At best you get a half-hearted chuckle or a sarcastic eye roll. Worst case scenario, your "out of character" banter is interpreted as the real thing. I remember once when I was a kid my dad joked that he'd lost our house in a bet with our neighbors, and we'd have to leave. I was, understandably I feel, more than a little distraught.
It has recently been made clear that talking that way is a Bad Idea. Henceforth, a resolution: I will not make jokes like my dad. I reserve the right, of course, to quote Darth Vader when appropriate.
This post has been edited to protect the guilty.
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