Sometimes an innocent joke can go too far. What started as something harmless becomes a thing people buy into.
Here are 12 examples of jokes that people take way too seriously today.
1. Nyquil Chicken
What began as a joke on TikTok quickly became a serious recipe for people: cooking chicken in Nyquil.
News outlets picked up on the viral “sensation,” leading to people actually cooking chicken in Nyquil. Please don't do that. It's not safe.
2. School Teachers Saying We'll Never Have Calculators In Our Pockets
Remember how your high school math teacher would lecture you about using a calculator on a test? “You need to learn how to do this on your own,” they'd say.
“You won't grow up having access to a calculator 24/7,” they'd laugh. Who's laughing now, Mr. Harrison? We have calculators on us at all times!
3. Dogecoin
“Oddly enough, the fact it was a joke is a fantastic feature. Whereas other crypto projects are done with the idea of the creator getting rich, this was just a joke. One of the pros of Bitcoin is that no creator or entity has control or significant influence over it.”
“The fact the creator just made it as a joke and not as a get-rich-quick scheme gives Doge the same feature. The creators aren't even near to being the largest holders of Dogecoin,” one person explained. Several others shared stories of making substantial money on it after Elon Musk said something about it.
4. Flat Earth
“I recall a flat earth website that said they had members all over the globe,” one laughed. Another joked, “My favorite part about flat earthers is that they recognize and accept that every other planet has been observed as round. But ours is the only one that is flat.”
Another shared, “The first I saw anything about it seemed to be the likes of 4chan making stupid memes. Of course, some people have room temperature IQs and can't separate jokes from reality, and then I started seeing posts on Facebook and Twitter that didn't seem so jokey, and then it was posters and cars with stickers.”
5. Schrödinger's Cat
One user shared, “Schrödinger's cat was formulated as a thought experiment to illustrate how odd quantum mechanics is, not that the cat is both alive and dead.” “Not just that, Schrödinger came up with it to demonstrate how absurd the idea was. However, his peers thought it explained their ideas quite well and started using it as a layman's explanation,” said another.
6. Scientology
“Scientology. Come on. He's a sci-fi writer, and now many people believe they have Midi-chlorins or something in their blood, making them do bad things. Wow,” expressed one. Another added, “Not just a science fiction writer, but one who took a bet that he could start his own religion.”
“Writing for a penny a word is ridiculous. If a man wanted to make a million dollars, the best way would be to start his own religion.” — L. Ron Hubbard.
7. QAnon
One person shared, “According to the HBO documentary Q: Into the Storm and stuff on the internet, Q's writings had a distinct change when it switched to 8kun. The most popular theory is that trolls started it for the lulz. But they got bored of it, and Jim Watkins and his son saw the potential for large-scale trolling, so they took it over.”
“The switch to 8kun was so they could control all the Q posts and stomp out any attempts by the original Q to jump back in. It was on 4chan, the irony being that one of the disclaimers used on 4chan reads, ‘The stories and information posted here are artistic works of fiction and falsehood. Only a fool would take anything posted here as fact.”
8. Celebrities Becoming Politicians
“Celebrities becoming politicians, after all this, I never want to be told I need experience for a job ever again,” one user admitted. Then, of course, people through names out, including Ronald Reagan, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Donald Trump. Finally, another countered, “Politicians becoming celebrities.”
9. Truck Nuts
“I live in the south and see them all the time,” one stated. “So one night, I started researching why they are even a thing. Several Wikipedia rabbit holes later, I learned how Romans occasionally put a ritual phallus under their chariot for good luck. And to get the blessing of some god of virility. Truck nuts are thousands of years old. Humanity never changes.”
10. Science Can't Explain How Bumblebees Fly
One person shared, “That science can't explain why bumblebees can fly. It started as a joke among scientists. Now some anti-scientific morons use it as an argument against science.”
Another exclaimed, “I worked with a guy who used this as an argument for God against science. Regardless of your beliefs, this is silly because I showed him multiple videos and articles about bees flying. And he kept saying, ‘Yes, but we can't explain it.' They just did. Ten times! Listen!”
11. The “OK” Hand Gesture Being a White Supremacist Sign
One said, “The OK symbol is a white supremacist sign. But the racists didn't make it up. The media is the one that turned it into a hate symbol. They reported on a nothing story from a troll website. If they didn't report on it – it likely never makes it off 4chan.”
12. Masculinity Types
“Those masculinity types, like Alpha, Omega, Sigma male, etc. Some people take this too seriously,” shared one. Another joked, “It's astrology for men.” “The fact there are YouTube channels dedicated to these mindsets is freaking hilarious. And all of them relate to how to get a girlfriend,” a third commented.
We hope you enjoyed the list of things that started as a joke but are taken too seriously today.
This thread inspired this article.
This article was produced and syndicated by Wealth of Geeks.