Just kidding (right?)

A few days ago i asked someone about what he thought would be cool features for a program. His first answer was some supposedly crazy stuff. It was obvious that he was joking. Afterwards he added some things that are quite common. This was what he was serious about.

I added his later answer into my considerations about the program. I had a concept about this program which i threw overboard yesterday. I wasn't satisfied. I wanted something new. And then i remembered his jokes. And suddenly i thought "Hey, that would be cool, if i used that".

His first suggestion was something not everyone would have approved of. It was unconventional. So he packed that what he thought would be fun into a joke. If i thought it was ridiculous he could still say it was a joke. He stated his oppinion but he could still withdraw it without losing his face if it wasn't accepted. Afterwards he told something common and widely accepted. But that was more a formality.

Pay attention if you ask someone about his oppinion. If he answers first with a joke and then with a serious answer, don't discard the joke completely. The serious answer might be what he wants you to think his opinion is. But the joke represents what he secretly wishes.

(In medieval times the jester was often the only person on a court who could tell the king that he had done something stupid)