# Why did the chicken...

=> gemini://siiky.srht.site/kB45oC/why_did_the_chicken.gmi Re: Why did the chicken... (by siiky)

I love references to this little joke so much. It has a special place in my heart, as it is emblematic of many wonder things which I will struggle to articulate through indirect means. The joke, of course is

> Q: Why did the chicken cross the road?
> A: To get to the other side.

Before reading my garbled mess of thought, take a second to pause and appreicate this joke.

Okay, here's my garbled mess:

It's so common and simple in its core idea that you probably think nothing of it. To kill the idea by saying it out loud, it plays with our assumptions of what a question should be by asking a question which implies some kind of unusual or meaningful answer, but 'surprises' us by being a simple statement which is so obvious as to be overlooked as a potential answer. It is a joke because it violates the cooperative conversational principles. It is also maybe not very funny; it has been defended as 'anti-humor' but I think that's just another way of saying not funny.

According to Wikipedia, the earliest version of this joke was found in 𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝐾𝑛𝑖𝑐𝑘𝑒𝑟𝑏𝑜𝑐𝑘𝑒𝑟 magazine in the year in 1847.

> There are 'quips and quillets' which seem actual conundrums, but yet are none. Of such is this: 'Why does a chicken cross the street? Are you 'out of town?' Do you 'give it up?' Well, then: 'Because it wants to get on the other side!'

Apparently the joke was originally popularized by minstrel shows. Who know's if that's true, but anyway...

### The second level

This joke starts to become really magical once it's been established as a nationally iconic generic joke. Now we can make other jokes based on it:

> Q: Why did the dinosaur cross the road?
> A: Because chickens hadn't been invented yet.
or
> Q: Why did the chewing gum cross the road?
> A: Because it was stuck to the chicken's foot.

We can also make meme-format quote picture thingies on Pinterest which show a picture of a chicken crossing the road and have the timeless Oliver Markus Malloy quote:

> I dream of a world where chickens can cross the road without having their motives questioned.

I don't know if you like this joke yet. I'm not sure if I do anymore. Is it actually just really bad, along with all of its derivatives? Should we just make fun of its undeserved popularity?

> Q: Why did the chicken cross the road?
> A: To knock-knock on the door, walk into a bar, and screw in a lightbulb.

### Level Three: Ultimate Chicken Joke Appreciation

Since you've gotten this far, it's time to reveal a secret. The original chicken joke was the funniest joke of them all. It's a double meaning, concealing a dark edgy suicide joke under an innocent exterior. Do you see it?

If your socks aren't blown away by now...

One last time, with reverence:

> Q: Why did the chicken cross the road?
> A: To get to the other side.

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