Here is one. A man goes to the doctor and says, 'Doctor, I think I'm a moth.' The doctor says, 'I'm a doctor, not a psychiatrist. Why did you come here?' The man replies, 'Well, your light was on.'
There was a serial killer who was really bad at his job. He always got caught within a week. When the police asked him why he was so bad at it, he said, 'I keep leaving my wallet at the crime scene.' This plays on the absurdity of a criminal being so careless in a rather dark context.
A skeleton walks into a bar and says, 'Give me a beer... and a mop.' It's funny because skeletons are just bones and they don't really need a drink but the idea of also asking for a mop adds to the dark humor as it implies they are going to make a mess while drinking.
Here's one. A man goes to the doctor and says, 'Doctor, I think I'm a moth.' The doctor says, 'Well, you should see a psychiatrist. Why did you come to me?' The man replies, 'The light was on here.'
Sure. Here is one: A man goes to the doctor and says, 'Doctor, I think I'm a moth.' The doctor says, 'Well, why did you come in here then?' The man replies, 'The light was on.' This short story has a touch of dark humor as it plays on the man's delusion in a rather unexpected and somewhat morbid way.
Once, a politician gave a long speech about reducing waste. But right after that, he ordered a ten - course meal just for himself at a fancy restaurant. It's like he was saying one thing but doing the complete opposite, which is a bit of a dark political humor in itself.
A cemetery worker was asked why he liked his job. He said, 'Well, it's the only place where people are always laid back.' This dark humor story uses a play on words with 'laid back' in the context of a cemetery where people are literally laid to rest.
Sure. Here's one. A man goes to the doctor and says, 'Doctor, I keep thinking I'm a deck of cards.' The doctor replies, 'I'll deal with you later.'
They usually play on the flaws and absurdities of human nature. In a short story, a miser who is so stingy that he tries to bargain with the Grim Reaper to take someone else instead of him. The combination of the serious concept of death and the ridiculous behavior of the miser creates that dark humorous effect.
Once upon a time, a magician was walking down the street and turned into a grocery store. (Just kidding! Here's a real one.) A wife asked her husband, 'Honey, you know how we always say we should have a special signal in case we're ever in danger? How about if we start whistling the Star - Spangled Banner?' The husband said, 'But what if we can't remember the tune?' The wife replied, 'Well, we'll just start singing the words really loud!'
Roald Dahl's 'Lamb to the Slaughter' is also a great example. A wife kills her husband with a frozen leg of lamb and then cooks it and serves it to the police who come to investigate. The contrast between the grisly act and the domestic, almost comical situation that follows is full of dark humor.
One is 'The Lottery' by Shirley Jackson. It's about a small town's annual lottery, which seems like a normal event at first but takes a dark turn when the 'winner' is stoned to death. It uses the concept of tradition to create a sense of dark humor.
Once, a man went to the doctor. He said, 'Doc, I keep seeing an onion everywhere I look.' The doctor replied, 'That's a rather strange condition. Have you tried not looking?' It's a bit of dark humor as it plays on the absurdity of the situation in a private, individual - centered scenario.