For me as a non-american, the concept od 'dad jokes' is totally alien. From perceived usage, it seems just as a different phrase for puns, with some negative association.
I too grew up outside the USA, I'd say in a culture very different from any western ones and not just America. We didn't have anything like dad-jokes as far as I can remember.
Both my children (almost teens now) have only lived in the USA, and they yell "dad-joke" at any attempted humor that fails to make them laugh. On my part they're mostly sarcastic remarks veiled as a joke to keep the conversation pleasant or makes a fun one more interesting, by showing my participation. Sometimes I also initiate it because I simply want to bond with them but I don't know how to talk like their age. I don't want conversations to be too serious.
I guess, my ultimate motive is to bond with them with humor but I have to choose ones that isn't too confrontational, aggressive or other negative connotations. I pick these almost silly bad ones on purpose because they're light-hearted, they have been used it since they were very small and I really don't feel the need to be perfect around them, they're too young for me. Lately I have also been thinking that maybe I do want them the opportunity to laugh at me, instead of seeing me as authoritative, all the time.
In the culture I grew up in fathers were supposed to be quite strict so even talking to them was a big deal so jokes were rare. Even then we used talk about silly things our old men did, on rare ocassions in front of them so the last one might be a big part of it.
It's a certain type of pun. Not all puns are dad jokes. Dad jokes are viewed negatively because they tend to be one-beat, shallow puns. Ones that could be understood by a six-year-old, so when your dad is still telling them when you're ten years old (or twenty), you roll your eyes.
I think the problem is judging them. Some might find them shallow and some might find them clever. Or maybe it's people shouting "dad joke" at every pun anyway.
Both my children (almost teens now) have only lived in the USA, and they yell "dad-joke" at any attempted humor that fails to make them laugh. On my part they're mostly sarcastic remarks veiled as a joke to keep the conversation pleasant or makes a fun one more interesting, by showing my participation. Sometimes I also initiate it because I simply want to bond with them but I don't know how to talk like their age. I don't want conversations to be too serious.
I guess, my ultimate motive is to bond with them with humor but I have to choose ones that isn't too confrontational, aggressive or other negative connotations. I pick these almost silly bad ones on purpose because they're light-hearted, they have been used it since they were very small and I really don't feel the need to be perfect around them, they're too young for me. Lately I have also been thinking that maybe I do want them the opportunity to laugh at me, instead of seeing me as authoritative, all the time.
In the culture I grew up in fathers were supposed to be quite strict so even talking to them was a big deal so jokes were rare. Even then we used talk about silly things our old men did, on rare ocassions in front of them so the last one might be a big part of it.