[Korean Culture & Language] Dad jokes to mentally escape from reality

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Do you recall 아재개그 (Korean dad jokes) from the other article? The below meme explains how 아재개그 can be invincible:


The reason why 아재개그 is invincible:

After one does 아재개그:

The other person laughs – The ‘아재’ is happy;

The other person gets mad – The ‘아재’ is happy;

The other person gives no response – The ‘아재’ is happy;

The other person’s lips twitched – The ‘아재’ is super happy.


What's funny is that the psychology of those who tell dad jokes is that they get joy from getting people irritated rather than making them laugh. After the joke, the 아재개그ers enjoy the awkward silence.

아재개그 is still popular, though, since it is considered as older generations’ efforts to communicate with the younger generation. 아재s break the ice or ‘lower’ themselves by telling a joke that isn’t funny, which relieves the tension between each other and allows younger generations to express their deepest thoughts more freely.

Even though many Korean 아재s are stereotyped as being a 꼰대, they are one of the weakest members of the society. Because housing and education account for 80% of household income in Korea, dads rarely have time or money to invest in themselves or to keep up with the trend. They are too busy paying the expenses for their family.

‘아재개그 may be a means for them to ‘일탈(mentally escape from reality),’ allowing them to forget about their miserable life for a while. It may also provide a way to initiate conversations with their wives and children, making them feel like they are “사람 같이 살다 (living like a human)".

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