Jokes Apart

Did internet bring about changes in people’s ways of sharing jokes with one another? I know a cocktail circuit executive hunting through the internet sites to arm himself with great jokes before going for a party. He is very proud and vain of his jokes which, he thinks, are lethal for attracting the fair sex. His male companions of course call him joker – though behind his back. He brushes aside insinuations of the envious friends as their lack of understanding of the Queen’s language.

I cannot but share with you a joke that I got in my e-mail from a close friend of mine a few days back. It ran thus: An old couple went to Jerusalem, as a part of their annual outing. They spent a few days visiting historical places. Unfortunately, the husband died suddenly. Sympathies poured in and the grieving widow was consoled, as is customary. The well-wishers wanted to help the old widow, particularly for the cremation of the deceased husband. Undertakers were called and the quotations were received from them for the cremation. Three options were given to the widow. The first was to cremate the old man in Jerusalem itself, which would be less expensive. The second was to embalm the body and take the body by ship, which will cost more. The third and costliest option was to fly the embalmed body by aircraft. Everyone expected the couple hailing from a middle-class background would go for the cheapest option of cremating in Jerusalem. But to their utter surprise the widow said that she wanted to go for the costliest option of taking the body by air at the earliest. Many thought it could be for sentimental reasons. But the widow explained that she knew of a person called Jesus, who died in the very place, cremated here and resurrected after three days. She did not want the same thing happening with her.

Funny, isn’t it? Do you have any idea as to the number of such jokes stored in the Google site in various sections, including in English, German, Russian, Hindi, Tamil and any other language. It must be running into several trillions. There are also categorizations, such as jokes for parties, jokes for women, kids, adults, lovers, couples, adults, gays and the list goes on. It was common practice to joke about mobile phones before they became so endemic and universal.

Net is also a haven or heavenly platform for people with avowed spiritual pursuits. Till some time back, many of us would have received a number of appeals even from unknown persons, prayers, legends, couplets, etc. with a stern appeal and an equally strong warning. The appeal said that it should be passed onto at least x number of people. Upon doing that, the appeal instructed that one would be able to achieve whatever one wished for. The message warned against non-believers and threatened them with severe trials and tribulations. These legends used to land on your table or desk in a post card. I do not know whether the present generation knows about inland, post card and envelope and the like. I suspect they have largely disappeared due to the invasion of world wide web. Did internet transform how we communicated, how we read and how we responded:  well, yes and no both. In the US, surveys confirmed that e-papers are the more popular kind of text read and used by younger generations. Print is not washed out but significantly sidelined or marginalized. However, there are still an overwhelming number of readers for print editions as well. Most of the blockbuster novels across the world are now coming in the virtual form. At the same time, sale of copies of the print editions are also going up. India has done very well in information technology, but the newspapers and magazines are still printed in large numbers. On the other hand, it is a fact that most of the national dailies have released their net editions for online viewing.

Going back to jokes and the net, I feel that jokes are the most interactive and social items. A joke becomes a joke only when it is shared with others. It is not something you enjoy alone in isolation. That way, it differs from a piece of knowledge. The acquirer or inventor of this knowledge most often do not share that unless he is motivated either by fame, money or prestige. He or she seeks patent, copy rights, trademarks, etc. I still have to come across with a situation when somebody trying to patent his original jokes. I do not know whether patenting of such intellectual property is allowed or feasible, though there are several publications, which compile such jokes and segregate them as party jokes, bachelors joke, ladies jokes, X-rated jokes, etc. That is the pursuit of human ingenuity to make quick buck. What will happen if somebody plagiarizes those jokes? Can the publisher sue that person for the infringement of the copy rights? What authenticity the publisher can claim for the jokes he has complied?

But I know as to what will happen in other situations. For instance, an inventor can claim the damages if his patent is violated. He or she can make million, if that patent is bought and sold by others. A novelist or a writer can get royalty and a mutually agreed one-time payment upon selling the copyright.  Lyricists, actors, composers and singers, I understand, will soon get the copyrights of their creations, though the recent acrimony that has been let loose may prevent a speedy decision at least in the Indian situation.  Compare that with a person who has created a joke. He is unknown, unheard and unsung. Nobody can claim the paternity and maternity to such pieces that make us laugh, relax and change our moods.
   
Have we ever thought about why the jokes are considered in that way – free, floating and kind of amorphous in their appearance. I do not have any answer and I believe many amongst you will not have a clue. But one thing I am sure is that this is its strength as well, this is what makes it grow and recycle itself. These jokes cross the boundaries of languages, races, economic classes and organically contribute to human happiness and friendship. It also motivates you to share it with others not for any commercial consideration but for the sheer happiness of sharing. I believe that is the simplest and most informal edutainment for mankind and it is bereft of any complexities and structured or rigid regulations. I wish that could be true for all inventions, both art and science.