A lightbulb joke is a
joke cycle
A joke is a display of humour in which words are used within a specific and well-defined narrative structure to make people laughter, laugh and is usually not meant to be interpreted literally. It usually takes the form of a story, often with ...
that asks how many people of a certain group are needed to change, replace, or screw in a
light bulb
Electric light is an artificial light source powered by electricity.
Electric Light may also refer to:
* Light fixture, a decorative enclosure for an electric light source
* ''Electric Light'' (album), a 2018 album by James Bay
* Electric Light ( ...
. Generally, the
punch line
A punch line (also punch-line or punchline) concludes a joke; it is intended to make people Laughter, laugh. It is the third and final part of the Joke#Telling jokes, typical joke structure. It follows the introductory framing of the joke and th ...
answer highlights a
stereotype
In social psychology, a stereotype is a generalization, generalized belief about a particular category of people. It is an expectation that people might have about every person of a particular group. The type of expectation can vary; it can ...
of the target group. There are numerous versions of the lightbulb joke satirizing a wide range of cultures, beliefs, and occupations.
Early versions of the joke, popular in the late 1960s and the 1970s, were used to insult the intelligence of people, especially
Poles
Pole or poles may refer to:
People
*Poles (people), another term for Polish people, from the country of Poland
* Pole (surname), including a list of people with the name
* Pole (musician) (Stefan Betke, born 1967), German electronic music artist
...
("
Polish jokes"). Such jokes generally take the form of:
Although lightbulb jokes tend to be derogatory in tone (''e.g.'', "How many drunkards..." / "Four: one to hold the light bulb and three to drink until the room spins"), the people targeted by them may take pride in the stereotypes expressed and are often themselves the jokes' originators. An example where the joke itself becomes a statement of ethnic pride is:
Lightbulb jokes applied to subgroups can be used to ease tensions between them.
Variations
Some versions of the joke are
pun
A pun, also known as a paronomasia in the context of linguistics, is a form of word play that exploits multiple meanings of a term, or of similar-sounding words, for an intended humorous or rhetorical effect. These ambiguities can arise from t ...
s on the words "
change
Change, Changed or Changing may refer to the below. Other forms are listed at
Alteration
* Impermanence, a difference in a state of affairs at different points in time
* Menopause, also referred to as "the change", the permanent cessation of t ...
" or "
screw
A screw is an externally helical threaded fastener capable of being tightened or released by a twisting force (torque) to the screw head, head. The most common uses of screws are to hold objects together and there are many forms for a variety ...
", or "light":
Lightbulb jokes are often responses to contemporary events.
For example, the lightbulb may not need to be changed at all due to ongoing
power outage
A power outage, also called a blackout, a power failure, a power blackout, a power loss, a power cut, or a power out is the complete loss of the electrical power network supply to an end user.
There are many causes of power failures in an el ...
s.
''
The Village Voice
''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture publication based in Greenwich Village, New York City, known for being the country's first Alternative newspaper, alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf (publisher), Dan Wolf, ...
'' held a $200 lightbulb joke contest around the time of the
Iran hostage crisis
The Iran hostage crisis () began on November 4, 1979, when 66 Americans, including diplomats and other civilian personnel, were taken hostage at the Embassy of the United States in Tehran, with 52 of them being held until January 20, 1981. Th ...
, with the winning joke being:
[Dundes, 264.]
Lightbulb jokes can also be about sports, teasing about their team's past, future, etc.
Lightbulb jokes can also be related to religious groups and denominations.
References
Notes
*
* Alan Dundes (1981). "Many Hands Make Light Work or Caught in the Act of Screwing in Light Bulbs". In
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lightbulb Joke
Incandescent light bulbs
Joke cycles