---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: This morning the electricity came on for…"
description: "\"This morning the electricity came on for a few minutes, and when it did, Jonny said, \"Hey, it's a black-on.\" This is what passes for humor around here...."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e65/susan-beth-pfeffer-9577_black_this-morning-the-electricity-came-on-for_3042101.png"
---

#  This morning the electricity came on for a few minutes…

![“This morning the electricity came on for a few minutes, and when it did, Jonny said, &quot;Hey, it's a black-on.&quot; This is what passes for humor around here.” quote by Susan Beth Pfeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e65/susan-beth-pfeffer-9577_black_this-morning-the-electricity-came-on-for_3042101.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e65/susan-beth-pfeffer-9577_black_this-morning-the-electricity-came-on-for_3042101.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e65/susan-beth-pfeffer-9577_black_this-morning-the-electricity-came-on-for_3042101.png)

> “This morning the electricity came on for a few minutes, and when it did, Jonny said, "Hey, it's a black-on." This is what passes for humor around here.”

[Susan Beth Pfeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-beth-pfeffer/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Brief power outage triggers a sarcastic comment, highlighting how humor can be dark and coping in stressful settings.

**In simple terms:** People use jokes to cope with tension.

Key Takeaway

Recognize humor as a coping tool.

Themes

stress humor coping social dynamics

Mood

wry reflective

Type

observational social

When to use this quote

- family gatherings
- emergency situations
- workplace stress
- online forums

Key Concepts

dark humor social bonding resilience

Questions to Reflect On

- How does humor affect group morale?
- When does sarcasm become harmful?

A Different Perspective

Humor may mask underlying issues rather than resolve them.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Electricity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/electricity/) [Humor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humor/) [Morning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/morning/)

## Related quotes

> [The electricity came on for the second time today wile we were eating. This may be a fool's paradise, but it's a paradise nonetheless.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-beth-pfeffer/the-electricity-came-on-for-the-second-time-today-wile-we-were-eating/)

[Susan Beth Pfeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-beth-pfeffer/)

> [“I wanted to be at my parents’ house when electricity came. It was in 1940. We’d all go around flipping the switch, to make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/studs-terkel/i-wanted-to-be-at-my-parents-house-when-electricity-came-it-was-in/)

[Studs Terkel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/studs-terkel/)

> [For example, it's only about 20 years ago the people in that community would have got telephone lines, and it would be only about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mcgahern/for-example-it-s-only-about-20-years-ago-the-people-in-that-community/)

[John McGahern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mcgahern/)

> [We can go up or we can do down. I think generally the world is going on an upward swing. We're in a part…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-harrison/we-can-go-up-or-we-can-do-down-i-think-generally-the-world-is-going/)

[George Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-harrison/)

> [By embracing clean energy across the country, we can create more and better jobs, protect the air our children breathe and the water they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-lujan-grisham/by-embracing-clean-energy-across-the-country-we-can-create-more-and/)

[Michelle Lujan Grisham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-lujan-grisham/)

> [He’d moved toward me again. His hands released mine and moved to my waist, and I noticed I wasn’t the only one breathing heavily.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richelle-mead/he-d-moved-toward-me-again-his-hands-released-mine-and-moved-to-my/)

[Richelle Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richelle-mead/)

> [Instead of explaining the sober facts of mechanics and electricity, I want to say a few words about the debt which we owe to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felix-bloch/instead-of-explaining-the-sober-facts-of-mechanics-and-electricity-i/)

[Felix Bloch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felix-bloch/)

> [Society takes what it wants. The artist himself does not count, because there is no actual existence for the work of art. The work…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-duchamp/society-takes-what-it-wants-the-artist-himself-does-not-count-because/)

[Marcel Duchamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-duchamp/)

> [I have been much amused at ye singular phenomena resulting from bringing of a needle into contact with a piece of amber or resin…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-newton/i-have-been-much-amused-at-ye-singular-phenomena-resulting-from/)

[Isaac Newton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-newton/)

> [The supposedly immaterial soul, we now know, can be bisected with a knife, altered by chemicals, started or stopped by electricity, and extinguished by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/the-supposedly-immaterial-soul-we-now-know-can-be-bisected-with-a/)

[Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/)

> [We cannot predict the new forces, powers, and discoveries that will be disclosed to us when we reach the other planets and set up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-c-clarke/we-cannot-predict-the-new-forces-powers-and-discoveries-that-will-be/)

[Arthur C. Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-c-clarke/)

> ['Brace the Wave' is an acoustic-electric record recorded with electricity on analog-digital and digitally-analog equipment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lou-barlow/brace-the-wave-is-an-acoustic-electric-record-recorded-with/)

[Lou Barlow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lou-barlow/)

> [Windmills and solar cells are carbon-free sources of electricity. But they are costly. If you've been investing in those, give it up. That game…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-fisher/windmills-and-solar-cells-are-carbon-free-sources-of-electricity-but/)

[Kenneth Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-fisher/)

> [In the Green Zone in Iraq you have your radio, you have your food, you have your own electricity, your own toilets. Everything is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-colla/in-the-green-zone-in-iraq-you-have-your-radio-you-have-your-food-you/)

[Elliott Colla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-colla/)

> [“The global population of Earth are involved in the following corporate government experiments: The long term effects of - 1. Nuclear bomb fallout radiation.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/the-global-population-of-earth-are-involved-in-the-following/)

[Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/)

## More by Susan Beth Pfeffer

> [“I never really thought about how when I look at the moon it’s the same moon Shakespeare and Marie Antoinette and George Washington and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-beth-pfeffer/i-never-really-thought-about-how-when-i-look-at-the-moon-it-s-the/)

[Susan Beth Pfeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-beth-pfeffer/)

> [Great, the worlds coming to an end and we're fixing it with Band-Aids](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-beth-pfeffer/great-the-worlds-coming-to-an-end-and-we-re-fixing-it-with-band-aids/)

[Susan Beth Pfeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-beth-pfeffer/)

> [Maybe I'm wrong," Mom said. "Maybe the world really is coming to an end." "Should I try Fox News?" I asked. Mom shuddered. "We're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-beth-pfeffer/maybe-i-m-wrong-mom-said-maybe-the-world-really-is-coming-to-an-end/)

[Susan Beth Pfeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-beth-pfeffer/)

> [“This past year I grew up to know hunger, grief, darkness, fear. I began to understand how lonely you can feel even when all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-beth-pfeffer/this-past-year-i-grew-up-to-know-hunger-grief-darkness-fear-i-began/)

[Susan Beth Pfeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-beth-pfeffer/)

> [But it's our curse and our blessing to remember the past and to know there's a future. —Charlie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-beth-pfeffer/but-it-s-our-curse-and-our-blessing-to-remember-the-past-and-to-know/)

[Susan Beth Pfeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-beth-pfeffer/)

> [Nothing good happened to Romeo or Juliet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-beth-pfeffer/nothing-good-happened-to-romeo-or-juliet/)

[Susan Beth Pfeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-beth-pfeffer/)

> [Matt looked up kids from his high school class. Only three were listed as dead, but a bunch were listed as missing/presumed dead. As…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-beth-pfeffer/matt-looked-up-kids-from-his-high-school-class-only-three-were-listed/)

[Susan Beth Pfeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-beth-pfeffer/)

> [Even the rats are drowning,' Alex said. Nah,' Kevin said. 'They've been taking swimming lessons at the Y.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-beth-pfeffer/even-the-rats-are-drowning-alex-said-nah-kevin-said-they-ve-been/)

[Susan Beth Pfeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-beth-pfeffer/)

> [What about desserts?" I asked. "If the world comes to an end, I'm going to want cookies." "We're all going to want cookies if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-beth-pfeffer/what-about-desserts-i-asked-if-the-world-comes-to-an-end-i-m-going-to/)

[Susan Beth Pfeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-beth-pfeffer/)

> [“It’s amazing. I never used to like red cabbage, but now when I get only a teaspoon of it, it’s all I can think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-beth-pfeffer/it-s-amazing-i-never-used-to-like-red-cabbage-but-now-when-i-get-only/)

[Susan Beth Pfeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-beth-pfeffer/)

> [I wonder if I'll ever have to decide which is worse, life as we're living or no life at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-beth-pfeffer/i-wonder-if-i-ll-ever-have-to-decide-which-is-worse-life-as-we-re/)

[Susan Beth Pfeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-beth-pfeffer/)

> [“I wondered how many people had sung "By the dawn's early light' yesterday and were dead today.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-beth-pfeffer/i-wondered-how-many-people-had-sung-by-the-dawn-s-early-light/)

[Susan Beth Pfeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-beth-pfeffer/)

> [Sometimes the rules don't work. Sometimes the rules cause the anarchy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-beth-pfeffer/sometimes-the-rules-don-t-work-sometimes-the-rules-cause-the-anarchy/)

[Susan Beth Pfeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-beth-pfeffer/)

> [“Every day when I go to sleep I think what a jerk I was to have felt sorry for myself the day before. My…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-beth-pfeffer/every-day-when-i-go-to-sleep-i-think-what-a-jerk-i-was-to-have-felt/)

[Susan Beth Pfeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-beth-pfeffer/)

> [...when I came back, I found Mom sobbing at the kitchen table...Then I asked her what had happened. 'Nothing,'she said. 'I was thinking about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-beth-pfeffer/when-i-came-back-i-found-mom-sobbing-at-the-kitchen-table-then-i/)

[Susan Beth Pfeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-beth-pfeffer/)

[Explore all 71 Susan Beth Pfeffer quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-beth-pfeffer/)

## More Black quotes

> [I wanted to write about voodoo tradition that I feel has been very important to survival of black people here: people of the African…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesmyn-ward/i-wanted-to-write-about-voodoo-tradition-that-i-feel-has-been-very/)

[Jesmyn Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesmyn-ward/)

> [When you go to a club it's not about being black or white or heavy or thick. I'm shaking my ass because I want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miley-cyrus/when-you-go-to-a-club-it-s-not-about-being-black-or-white-or-heavy-or/)

[Miley Cyrus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miley-cyrus/)

> [The vision of the left, full of envy and resentment, takes its worst toll on those at the bottom - whether black or white…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/the-vision-of-the-left-full-of-envy-and-resentment-takes-its-worst/)

[Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/)

> [When you're scared - and I mean really scared, not just hearing a noise in the night, or standing toe to toe with someone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-gordon-smith/when-you-re-scared-and-i-mean-really-scared-not-just-hearing-a-noise/)

[Alexander Gordon Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-gordon-smith/)

> [The term "black metal" has become a lot looser, or can include a larger range of sounds and extra-musical aesthetics, not just Satan and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-marston/the-term-black-metal-has-become-a-lot-looser-or-can-include-a-larger/)

[Colin Marston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-marston/)

> [How can you be more subject; black woman in a white man's world?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maureen-duffy/how-can-you-be-more-subject-black-woman-in-a-white-man-s-world/)

[Maureen Duffy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maureen-duffy/)

> [We have to build our own power. We have to win every single political office we can, where we have a majority of black…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fannie-lou-hamer/we-have-to-build-our-own-power-we-have-to-win-every-single-political/)

[Fannie Lou Hamer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fannie-lou-hamer/)

> [There is only one party in the United States, the Property Party...and it has two right wings: Republican and Democrat. Republicans are a bit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/there-is-only-one-party-in-the-united-states-the-property-party-and/)

[Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/)

> [Black music has always known, and not been afraid to acknowledge just how high the stakes of Black thought are. To summarize the final…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-b-wilderson-iii/black-music-has-always-known-and-not-been-afraid-to-acknowledge-just/)

Frank B. Wilderson III

> [I know how hard it is to be a woman, especially a black woman.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-tyson/i-know-how-hard-it-is-to-be-a-woman-especially-a-black-woman/)

[Mike Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-tyson/)

> [If soot stains your tunic, dye it black. This is vengeance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-scott-bakker/if-soot-stains-your-tunic-dye-it-black-this-is-vengeance/)

[R. Scott Bakker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-scott-bakker/)

> [Hollywood is so fixated on keeping it that way because it's generating the buzz, but that representation isn't right. I definitely feel like it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-boyega/hollywood-is-so-fixated-on-keeping-it-that-way-because-it-s/)

[John Boyega](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-boyega/)

> [Nowadays most people wear black most of the time anyway: go to a literary party and one would imagine everyone there was in perpetual…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fay-weldon/nowadays-most-people-wear-black-most-of-the-time-anyway-go-to-a/)

[Fay Weldon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fay-weldon/)

> [There ain't no such thing as black Muslims. That's how they tried to cut off all my brothers in the rest of the world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muhammad-ali/there-ain-t-no-such-thing-as-black-muslims-that-s-how-they-tried-to/)

[Muhammad Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muhammad-ali/)

> [We do not want to be reminded that it is we, the indigenous people, who are poor and exploited in the land of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-biko/we-do-not-want-to-be-reminded-that-it-is-we-the-indigenous-people-who/)

[Steven Biko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-biko/)

Browse all 11,655 Black quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "This morning the electricity came on for a few minutes, and when it did, Jonny said, \"Hey, it's a black-on.\" This is what passes for humor around here.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Susan Beth Pfeffer"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-beth-pfeffer/this-morning-the-electricity-came-on-for-a-few-minutes-and-when-it/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Black"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-beth-pfeffer/this-morning-the-electricity-came-on-for-a-few-minutes-and-when-it/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e65/susan-beth-pfeffer-9577_black_this-morning-the-electricity-came-on-for_3042101.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e65/susan-beth-pfeffer-9577_black_this-morning-the-electricity-came-on-for_3042101.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e65/susan-beth-pfeffer-9577_black_this-morning-the-electricity-came-on-for_3042101.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“This morning the electricity came on for a few minutes, and when it did, Jonny said, \"Hey, it's a black-on.\"…” — Susan Beth Pfeffer",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Susan Beth Pfeffer",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-beth-pfeffer/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "This morning the electricity came on...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-beth-pfeffer/this-morning-the-electricity-came-on-for-a-few-minutes-and-when-it/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-beth-pfeffer/this-morning-the-electricity-came-on-for-a-few-minutes-and-when-it/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
