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Comparing joke formats with coworkers, the dark ones beat the light ones
Last week during our lunch break at the warehouse, I told two versions of the same hospital joke, one clean and one with a rough edge, to see which landed with the crew of 12 guys. The dark version got four real laughs and two groans, but the cleaner one just got a couple of polite nods, so now I'm second guessing what's actually okay to share around people I see daily. Has anyone else tested boundaries like this at work and found the line is way lower than they thought?
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carter.joseph7d ago
Three out of twelve guys found that rough edge funny, so that tells me something. Warehouse crews are not exactly known for being sensitive, but that doesn't mean the line is low for everyone. I have seen dudes laugh at stuff that would get HR called in a office, but then get dead quiet over a joke about someone's mom. It is not about dark versus light, it is about who you are aiming at and whether they think you are punching sideways at them. My rule is simple, if you have to ask if it is okay, then it is not okay for the daily crowd. Save the dark stuff for people who already know you are not actually a jerk.
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