30 Times People Just Couldn’t Figure Out The Joke But The Internet Had Their Backs

As I’m sure you know, we’re big fans of memes here at Bored Panda. And while these clever little images are meant to be shared and laughed at by friends and strangers alike, it’s impossible to understand them all. There are millions of memes floating around the internet, so if you encounter one that doesn’t make sense to you, have no fear. You can always post it on r/PeterExplainsTheJoke.

In this context, “Peter” is Peter Griffin, the beloved character from Family Guy. So members of the subreddit will post memes that they’ve stumbled upon with a caption along the lines of “Peter, what’s going on here?” And members will quickly swoop in and provide background info. We all have different life experiences, so we don’t all have access to the same knowledge. But there are an impressive 1.4 million members in this subreddit, so somebody is bound to understand each meme! 

I’m honestly not sure what’s more painful: not understanding a joke and having to ask for an explanation or telling a joke that doesn’t land because nobody got the punch line. Either way, someone is uncomfortable, embarrassed and struggling to find a way to keep the conversation going.

Now, the same rule doesn’t necessarily have to apply in real life, but it's a common practice in TV and film that you should never explain jokes to your audience. For example, if someone says an innuendo or a double entendre, the writers and actors must trust that the audience will get it. Overexplaining ruins the punch line, and all the humor is sucked from the situation. However, this only works if the joke actually made sense and was funny in the first place.     

According to Meng Zhong at Womble Bond Dickinson, a joke isn’t funny if it requires an explanation. They explained that in 2022, Elon Musk created a rule on X (formerly Twitter) that all parody accounts had to explicitly label themselves as such. But many argued that this ruins the fun of those satirical pages. 

Followers love wondering which accounts are ragebait and just for jokes and which ones are authentic. It’s also funny to engage with these accounts when you’re in on the joke, and it’s clear from some replies that not everyone understands. It’s almost like having an inside joke with thousands of strangers around the world.  

On that note, many people love inside jokes. We create them with our families, our best friends, our partners, our colleagues and more. For example, when someone’s hungry at work, we always suggest “just having a few grapes and you’ll be fine,” which doesn’t sound like a joke at all out of context. And my family has a few sayings (such as, “Family, unite!”) that will instantly send us into fits of laughter. But these comments don’t make sense to anyone else. Memes can often function in the same way, only being understood by a select number of people.

As much fun as inside jokes can be, they can also feel pretty isolating when you’re not in on the joke. So the courteous thing to do, if you share an inside joke in front of people who don’t get it, is to simply explain it! Laughing with loved ones is an excellent way to strengthen bonds and relieve stress. In fact, even laughing with people you don’t know might be a great way to make a new friend or sneak a little joy into your day! So if someone is curious about a meme you’ve shared or a joke you made, just be kind and explain it. There’s no need to shame them for not knowing the context!

While memes can be about anything and everything, they are intended to bring people together and make us feel less alone. But the opposite can happen when we don’t understand what’s going on in an image. Who’s that character they’re referring to? What’s that item supposed to be? Are they referencing a band or a book? It can all become incredibly confusing. That’s why it’s so great for groups like r/PeterExplainsTheJoke to exist. You’ll never be confused about memes again!