Old-fashioned jokes

The 2010 Korean hit film "The Man from Nowhere" features Cha Tae-sik, a protagonist who runs a pawn shop in a back alley after losing his wife, disconnecting himself from the rest of the world. The disappearance of a little neighborhood girl brought him back to the world. Tae-sik, a former special forces troop, fights against an illegal organ trade gang in order to rescue the girl who used to visit his shop and made him smile. As the film became the year's biggest box-office hit of the year, attracting nearly 6.3 million viewers, Won Bin who played Cha Tae-sik clinched the Best Actor honor of the Grand Bell Award, the Korean equivalent to the Academy Awards. However, his dazzling appearance gave the impression of a young, good-looking man, rather than a middle-aged man called "ajeossi," which is the Korean title of the movie.

Most ajeossis look so obvious from their appearances. Eight or nine of them have pot bellies. By the afternoon, their tuck-in shirts billow or become untucked. Those wearing glasses would have them lopsided. Judging from the untidy appearances, it would not be hard to guess how backwards their mentality is. If there is a man who is somehow loose and untidy, he can be called an "ajeossi" or "aje" in a more condescending sense.

These days, "aje" jokes are popular. They lack wits and satire. They are usually trite word plays or out-of-place humor. However, such jokes became popular after a famous chef made them frequently on an MBC TV entertainment show last year. These days, top-notch comedians also make "aje" jokes. An Chul-soo, co-chairman of the minor opposition People's Party, also made an aje joke about calls for opposition solidarity for the general elections.

For aje jokes to be successful, listeners' roles are very important. If younger listeners react enthusiastically when a boss makes an aje joke, the atmosphere can be amical. The sense of sympathy between younger and older generations would also grow. If younger workers dismiss older bosses' desperate efforts to get closer to them as no fun, the office atmosphere would become awkward. Still, ajeossi lame jokes are much better than scolding by grumpy old men. Just an excuse in the defense of ajeossis.