Sense of humor is definitely an asset when it comes to online dating. With that said, there are some things you should never, ever joke about on a first date. Just ask the guy from Reddit who claims he was arrested and taken to jail after he joked about being a serial killer on a first date.
After meeting his date via an online dating app, the man says they met up at a local restaurant. According to him, the date seemed to be going well – so good in fact, that she invited him to hang out with her and some friends after. He agreed, and went with her to the mall to meet her pals and grab some food. This is where things started to go sideways.
As he explains, “after the food arrives the conversation turns a little more towards how we met (pay close attention and you will spot my mistake). She states she’s glad I’m normal and not some sort of serial killer. Now I could have just laughed… I could have, but I was funny, remember? I replied with, ‘Oh, thanks for thinking I’m normal! But I actually am a serial killer, bodies for days buried out at the farm.’ She laughed, I laughed, I thought I did great at making it sound sarcastic.”
He was wrong. While in the bathroom, his date called the police. Not too long after, officers appeared, arrested him and took him away in handcuffs. He spent the next few hours at the police station, trying to explain that he was “just kidding.”
At the end of the post he says, “I made a joke I was a serial killer, date doesn’t get sarcasm, I spend hours in the police station.”
While it’s easy to read this man’s post and think, “Well, I guess some people just don’t get a joke,” it’s important to take a moment and try to understand things from the other person’s perspective.
Online dating can feel really vulnerable – especially if you’re a woman. When you’re female, your personal safety is always top of mind. As women we’re constantly on guard to make sure we’re not putting ourselves in danger. While it’s likely that many of us would have heard this guy’s comment and brushed it off as a joke, for this particular person, it set off alarm bells.
So, in an effort to help ensure that none of your dates end up in handcuffs, here are a few things you shouldn’t joke about when you’re on a date.
1. Being a serial killer.
Just don’t. I know, I know, it’s “hilarious” to joke about all of the bodies you have buried in your backyard, but please try to show some restraint here. Like I mentioned above, you never know where the other person is coming from and what your comment might trigger (for example, an arrest warrant.) Just to be safe and make the other person feel as comfortable as possible, don’t joke about violence.
2. That you’re already married or in a relationship.
As someone who has been on dates with people who later (unbeknownst to me) turned out to be married or in serious relationships, there’s nothing funny about this. In fact, the punchline may send your date running out the door before you even have a chance to explain.
3. Anything overtly sexual.
Although I’ve been known to make #TWSS jokes like it’s my job, until you’ve had a chance to really get to know someone, it’s best to lay off the sexual humor. Same goes for joking about wanting to hook up with someone when that’s not your intention (“How about we just finish up these Jamba Juices and go get naked!” Uh, no.) Getting overtly sexual on a first date – period – is enough to make most people’s “creepy” spidey senses go off.
4. Anything that could be interpreted as racist, sexist and/or just plain old offensive.
I know your Uncle Larry’s dumb blond jokes seem to get a lot of laughs down at the bowling alley, but that doesn’t mean you should use his material on your dates. Keep things respectful, my friends.
5. Violence.
Please, please, please take Reddit man’s experience to heart and don’t joke with your date about how you’re a murderer or are going to hurt them – unless of course you want a ride home in a paddy wagon. Consider yourself warned.
