When funny isn't funny

The first "dead hooker" joke I saw on Twitter made me laugh my ass off. I can't find it now but it was by @iamnotdiddy and went something like "son, help Daddy put the dead hooker in the trunk. Again." Okay, I totally ruined it but at the time I thought it was a work of art, comedicly speaking.

Since then I have read a million other dead hooker jokes... some funny, some not so funny and some that I am certain offended dead hookers all over the world.

But we all have a different idea of what we consider funny (I'm reminded of this every time I tell a joke a no one laughs - that is totally rare, though...totally rare..) and I think the best part of life is finding people who laugh at the same things as you and laughing together.

For most people, humour is about pushing the envelope and eliciting a reaction from others. And dead hooker jokes definitely fit the bill. But there is such a thing as too far. Here's why: because people are stupid.

A group of not-so-stupid buddies can have a few beers and a great laugh tossing back and forth the dead hooker gems. Each joke feeds off the last, getting a little more crass and a whole lot more funny. There is nothing wrong with that... chances are no one will leave the group and go out and kill a hooker for new material.

The problem is, when it's on Twitter, it isn't a private conversation. And not everyone gets the joke.

I'm not talking about uptight bitches and the like. As far as I'm concerned, if they don't think it's funny, they shouldn't read it. Simple. No one has the right to judge you on the things you say based on the things they believe. It's called freedom of speach, amirite?

However, there may be something we forget to consider when we say not everyone *gets* the joke. There's a very real possibility that some of the people who don't get the joke aren't offended by it... they are inspired by it. What we don't consider is that there might be a guy sitting at home in front of his computer who is stupid. And he's taking notes.

One of your followers might be a guy who thinks you are saying that murder is acceptable. Or that everyone wants these hookers punished. It might be someone who is looking for attention or a way to deal with the voices in his head. It might be someone who wants to take the joke to the next level, because it's so funny. And your tweet might tell him that is okay.

Obviously, there was murder long before Twitter was invented and there will be many more after Twitter is gone. Also, I'm not saying that you should be responsible for the actions of people you don't even know. All I ask is that, the next time you are about to post another dead hooker joke, ask yourself if this particular joke is crossing a line. Consider how you would feel if you knew that tweet led to a child losing his mother or a parent losing a child or a human being losing her life. And then judge yourself.

Okay, enough serious. So, a dead hooker walks into a bar. The bartender says...