There are certain things that serve as irresistible bait for would-be jokers, and yet they have a proven track record of producing exactly zero laughs exactly 100% of the time. That's why I say "skip it."
Acronym Jokes
Ever find yourself in a room with a bunch of people, often at work, and you stumble across a mysterious acronym? Someone will recite the acronym and wonder, "what does that mean?" The instant this happens, a weird silence usually falls over the room as everyone revs up their minds, racing to be the first to construct a goofball interpretation of the acronym. Then someone will blurt one out, and soon all the remaining quickwits will follow with their own version. AND NONE OF THEM WILL BE FUNNY.
Or, rather, I should say, they will be funny if you are the type of person who finds the following things uncontrollably funny:
- Mad Libs
- The card game, "Apples to Apples" (or, as I like to call it, The Enron of Party Games)
- Click and Clack
- Whose Line is it Anyway?
- spoonerisms
When an acronym is dropped on a group, I often sit back and remain quiet, knowing I am not going to contribute to this forthcoming disaster, while also bracing myself for the loud, animated death march that is sure to follow. Rounds of acronym humor give me the same stomach sickness I experience when I am trapped in a room full of musical theater enthusiasts. It's never a pleasant ride, and it's rarely a short one.
I see the appeal. There's bound to be something funny one could make out of an acronym like AHTFA, right? Wrong. Here's what you can make out of AHTFA: a bunch of silly words combined with no logic or context. In other words, comedy for toddlers. So please skip it.
Sincerely,
Killjoy McHarshmellow
p.s. Sorry if I seemed over Andy Rooney-esque here, and to show I'm not totally intractable, I would challenge you to prove me wrong. Create a joke based on what the acronym "AHFTA" stands for, send it to me, and I will (probably) post it here for all to see!