Often, after reading a joke on my site or in one of my humor lists, people e-mail me and ask,

"Pastor Tim, what's a Goober?"

To satisfy many people's curiosity, I've got a picture of one here.

Yes, you guessed it - that's me (a few years ago, lol). We've all been Goobers at one point or another in our lives by doing things that looked like we had disconnected from whatever intelligence we possess.

Goober is a term that I substitute into jokes that feature blondes, terms of ethnicity, and the like. That way we can laugh without having to risk hurting someone.

Contrary to what some have accused, my using the term Goober is not a slur against people lacking in intelligence. It's just a way to laugh at ourselves and the silly things we sometimes do (even though some goober jokes feature things so stupid nobody would do them).

So when you see Goober in a joke have a laugh - maybe even at yourself.