Dad jokes are now kind of a humor genre with a life of its own. They’re usually blunt, painfully (un)funny, and often cringe-inducing. So it’s totally fine if you don’t get one. I don’t get one either.

Surprisingly, they’re not a new thing, although their absurdity level definitely speaks to the 21st-century millennial generation. However, the term “dad joke” first emerged in 1987 when Jim Kalbaugh, a columnist with the Gettysburg Times, wrote: “As we approach Father’s Day, I would like to propose that ‘Dad’ Jokes not be banned. They should be revered, preserved.”

At the same time, there’s something about them that kinda works. You see, dad jokes are usually as neutral as they can be, since there is no social commentary, no political material, and no agenda. It doesn’t require great skill in catching a joke, doesn’t provoke much thought, and generally doesn’t carry some hidden meta meanings that need to be detected in order to get one.

With so much humor these days leveling on the inappropriate, it’s kinda refreshing to see something adults, kids, and everyone from any social and cultural background can easily relate to. On the other hand, if there’s no sense of transgression, and dad jokes are playing on the safe side, then they sooner or later get repetitive and kind of weary.