How to Keep an Idiot Busy

For many years, there have been widely circulated jokes about how to keep an idiot busy. This joke involves a card on which the phrase "If you'd like to find out how to keep an idiot busy, read the other side of this card." The reader finds that they must keep flipping the card until they figure out that it is just a joke. Since an idiot is "a person of subnormal intelligence," this circular joke may in fact keep an idiot busy.

Things You'll Need

• Pen or Pencil
• 3x5 card or paper
• An idiot

Instructions

1. Write on both sides of a 3x5 card (or other form of blank card or paper) the words "If you'd like to find out how to keep an idiot busy for hours, read the other side of this card."

2. Find a person (preferably of subnormal intelligence) that you would like to keep busy for a while and hand them the prepared card.

3. Watch as they flip the card over repeatedly to figure out the answer.

Tips & Warnings

• If you preface your interaction with explaining what the card is for, this may take away from the results of your joke.

• If you would like to trick a genius with a similar joke, try writing "The other side of this card tells a lie" on one side and "The other side of this card tells the truth" on the other. This may be able to keep a genius busy for a reasonable amount of time.

• If the idiot you would like to keep busy uses the Internet, email them a link to one of the online versions of the joke. See Resources section below for link.

• You may be able to find online versions of this joke, "To keep an idiot busy, click here," but the original method seems to be far more effective.

• This should not be attempted with a person of normal intelligence or they may be insulted by your attempt to fool them.