Ha Ha... wait, what?

How many times have you started to laugh at something and then realised you don’t get it? Or that the thing you’re laughing at is actually at your expense? Yeah, me too. And then, quite often, people start laughing at your confusion and you never actually get to understand what happened.

The other thing is where you think of something funny but nobody who understands the reference is there. It’s like if I start going “driving, driving, passenger on” at school, everyone will think I’m crazy but anyone who went to Easter 2010 will know what I mean. Or I can slip in a reference to Paper Towns or An Abundance of Katherines in the presence of Terrie but most other people would be utterly clueless. “Look for dead superman under the tree” leaves the majority of you utterly confused but somewhere out there, James knows exactly what I’m on about.

Jokes and funny comments lose their meaning when they have to be explained but it’s equally frustrating when you don’t get why someone is in hysterical laughter at what they just said to you. “You had to be there” is sometimes just a cop out for a failed joke but other times you honestly just had to be there. Even recreating the “driving, driving” chant from Easter would not be quite the same as being there watching the original. You just wouldn’t be part of the original fun and excitement. It’s like if you get a strange hair cut for a joke: it’s funny at the time with your friends but when you get back to school everyone just thinks you’re odd. (Well, I will!)

Inside jokes are great if you understand them. If I’m talking about road trips or beer cans with anyone who’s read Paper Towns, the names Ben and Radar could certainly get a smile, if not a laugh while to anyone else they’re just names inserted illogically into a conversation.

So I leave you with a list of random comments. Feel free to pick which one you understand!

• Ben, beer cans and superglue
• Big cow under a tree!
• Marcus Brigstocke (in a hat!)
• Driving, driving, passenger on
• I have an eyelash in my papillary sphincter
• Soooo... sheep!
• France!
• Hannibal
• A Muslim, a Christian and an atheist...

And if you don't get any of these comment with your inside jokes 'cause my comments are now working! (There are some bonuses of changing the layout!)