• LOGIC💣@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    13
    arrow-down
    1
    ·
    2 days ago

    Given the explanation that says “you included”, I’m guessing that the original joke was both the people said, “I’m not gay”, and then they look at you, the reader, making you the one out of three people who is gay.

    It’s basically the same joke I heard a comedian tell about San Francisco in probably the 1980s. “Look to your left. Look to your right. If they’re not gay, you are.” I’m guessing the joke is way older than that, though. It doesn’t work today because the majority of us all finally agreed that “You’re gay” isn’t an insult.

    • rustydrd@sh.itjust.works
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      3
      arrow-down
      2
      ·
      2 days ago

      Man, I hate these stupid jokes. Every time someone goes “statistically, one in three people is X, now look at the person to your left and right”, I want to scream “HAHAHAHAHAHAH SO FUNNY THAT’S STATISTICS FOR YOU AMIRITE” with an absolutely straight face. Bad enough they don’t know how statistics work, but they’re perpetuating other people’s ignorance on top of that.

      • blackbrook@mander.xyz
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        5
        ·
        2 days ago

        The unfunnyness and homophobia of the joke aside, this kind of joke doesn’t expect people to actually believe that statistics work this way. Part of the joke is the ridiculousness of expecting statistics to work that way. While there may indeed be some people so stupid/ignorant that they DO expect statistics to work this way, that’s not really the way this kind of humor is meant to work.