In class today, the presenting group discussed sexist views of women in society. In their discussion they used female comedians as an example, showing that research suggests that - in comparison to males - are not funny. I thought that it was interesting that this topic was brought up because it wasn't but a week ago that I was watching Chelsea Lately when my boyfriend made a comment about how "dumb" the show was becasue she wasn't funny. Now this wasn't the first time I've heard this (since he finds it necessary to make the same comment everytime I watch the show) but it wasn't until class today that I began to think about it at a deaper, more gender oriented level.
Personally, I find Chelsea Handler to be hilarious -- if you haven't read her books, I suggest you do so ... just make sure you're in private because you WILL be laughing out loud -- but was that just me? Is she really not funny? Or is my boyfriend demonstrating what we discussed in class?
Not only in comedy, but in almost every aspect of our lives, women have been positioned as second to men, so how do we change that? I understand that generations before, women did not always the privileges they have today, but as the gap begins to decrease will we ever find a way to eliminate these views and assumptions? Is it possible to convince men that women comedies are just as funny? I guess we'll just have to wait and find out ...
Dani, I too watch Chelsea Handler, and usually find her to be hilarious. I do, however, think that as the group discussed in class, her humor is often rooted in sarcasm and poking fun at herself or others. Perhaps we identify more with this type of humor more so than your boyfriend because as women, we are used to hearing this type of humor from the people around us. I know personally, if I am trying to poke fun at something or someone, I often rely on sarcasm instead of overtly stating my opinion. I find Chelsea Handler funny because she uses the same dry, sarcastic humor that I use myself.
ReplyDeleteI do wonder, however, if your boyfriend finds any male comedians funny who you find either "dumb," "offensive," or "annoying." Personally, I know many men who find Comedy Central comedian and TV host Daniel Tosh to be hilarious. I, on the other hand, find most of Tosh's humor, and the material used on his show Tosh.O to be offensive, crude, or over the top. I am curious as to what it is that attracts some people to certain comics, while others are completely turned off by their material. Perhaps, as the group who presented on Tuesday suggested, it is the idea that different genders identify with different traits of the comedians.
Dani,
ReplyDeleteYou're not alone - I think Chelsea Handler among other female comedians are absolutely hilarious. I also think that a lot of my female friends are funnier than my male friends. This question you raise, "are women funny?", goes back to our discussion in class where we decided men feel threatened by funny women, and therefore just say they aren't funny. For centuries now females have been competing with males, trying to have equal rights. Even though we have made a lot of progress with equal rights, I still think there is work to be done. Males definitely still consider themselves to be more dominant than women, which isn't always true.