Have I misunderstood this joke my whole life?

[AhBiscuits]

Why did the chicken cross the road?
To get to the other side.

My understanding: The chicken wanted to die. It knew it would get flattened and therefore cross to the other side.

A friend said that I have this all wrong and the chicken literally just wanted to cross the road. It's sort of a groan inducing non joke.

Who is right?

It's a bit of a bleak joke if it's about a suicidal chicken...

It's just a nonsense non-joke I think.

I think you've overthinked it

I always thought the same as your friend but now I am doubting myself!!

Woah, op... 😱

I think the same as your friend.

Your version is dark, but funny!

same!

Why did the hedgehog cross the road?
To see his flat mate

I heard the death meaning recently. I think both meanings are actually valid. Its just a nonsense joke

wtf

The answer is funny because it is the obvious answer. Ockham’s razor, innit 🐔

Your friend is right.

I think your friend is right.

A groan inducing non-joke was my understanding.

Crikey I never thought the chicken wanted to die. It just wanted to cross the road.

I never even thought about whether there were any cars coming, I guess I pictured an empty road.

The chicken just wants to cross to the other side - that's it. It wants to cross in the same way as we do. Therefore the joke is it wants to cross the road - nothing more. Perhaps you are expecting a more 'jokey' pun? - Your friend is right.

Is that the non-vegetarian version of Occam’s Razor? 😆

I like that understanding!

It's not what I think - but I get it.

Wow that's dark OP!

Your friend.

Well your friend is right, and I've never heard your version, but actually it makes a lot of sense and does add another layer to a boring joke!

I think the basic idea is that it is indeed a groanworthy non-joke - but I too have thought the same as you, OP, inasmuch as it would likely get run over and go to 'the other side' i.e. die!

Why did the determined chicken keep crossing the road, back and forth, 19 times?
Its braces had got caught on a lamp post.

I mean thinking about it, you'd tell it to a little kid and I recall seeing it in a kids joke book. So it's not about a suicidal chicken, it's just about the answer being the mundane and obvious i.e. crossing the road.

It's a rubbish non-joke; but I'll gladly take it over Boswell any millennium.

I see both ways but agree with your friend.

Why does anyone cross the road? To get across the road. I think it's supposed to be a silly, nonsense kind of thing without deep meaning.

Your friend is right.

I think your friend is right but I prefer your interpretation OP!

"Ockham" is longer than "Occam" and so we should use the second. 😀

(One's the English version, the other's Latin.)