Too True To Be Funny

Something that is, quite simply, too true to be funny. For example, when A makes a joke about B's character flaws, it's possible that they are so spot-on that B is deeply hurt by the "joke". It's just not funny anymore.

This is one of the main challenges of cartoonists, stand-up comedians and other people who tell jokes for money. They have to dance the delicate line between humoring something and demeaning it. Their creations must contain characters and situations that have some link to reality, otherwise the joke is TooFunnyToBeTrue? . But if they go too far, the laughed-at person might become offended, and the audience will not laugh.

Another version of TooTrueToBeFunny, and probably one more appropriate to this board, is pointing out the absurdity of a bad situation for humor. Depending on the situation and the audience, they may react to the problems of the situation rather than the humor. Someone working for a particularly horrific PointyHairedBoss could respond with horror instead of laughter at the latest Dilbert strip.