The 'women aren't funny' myth

boombang wrote: »

I took that to be a pertinent joke.

I think this is an interesting question. It might not be possible to explore once the Una Mullahy bots arrive.

I know funny women, but do agree that on average men seem to make better comedians than women. If I go full doubter on it I sometimes wonder do I think that because I'm a man or that men generally have set the narrative in almost all aspects of life for centuries in a way that's hard to step back from. Then I listen to some terrrible women-only comedy special, cringe think that they're just not funny.

Ahhhh now I get it...the maths and science deniers!!

Triceratops Ballet wrote: »

Exactly so their popularity isn't indicative of how good they are or aren't at any given time, all it indicates is how popular they are. You have said this yourself. Brendan Grace sold a lot of tickets but is not the best comedian of his time, those are your words not mine. It baffles me that you can't apply the same logic in the same way to other comedians or scenarios. That's how logic works. If it's sound, it will apply equally and unconditionally no matter what scenario you have.

I'd say you struggle with logic to be fair...and basic understanding on how the professional/commercial/real world operates.

You are basing your opinion on your personal taste.
I am not...which is why my opinion on who (as opposed to what gender I find funnier) doesn't matter.

I am basing my personal opinion on the fact that men sell, way way more tickets to comedy shows...which we all agree on....you are ignoring the facts I am not.

This kind of reminds me of the time John McEnroe had to explain himself in an outrage storm for suggesting that Sarena Williams was the best female tennis player of all time, and not the best tennis player of all time.

Is Maths, reason and logic that difficult!

Silentcorner wrote:

You are basing your opinion on your personal taste. I am not...which is why my opinion on who (as opposed to what gender I find funnier) doesn't matter.

I'm not talking about my opinion at all as I've said many times you're free to think what you want about female comedians. I don't care that you think women aren't funny. That's a non issue really.
The problem is that you say one thing and then say something that contradicts it, and talk to me about not understanding? Hilarious!

Silentcorner wrote:

This kind of reminds me of the time John McEnroe had to explain himself in an outrage storm for suggesting that Sarena Williams was the best female tennis player of all time, and not the best tennis player of all time.

What has that got to do with anything?

Tell me something is Brendan Grace a great comedian?

Triceratops Ballet wrote: »

I'm not talking about my opinion at all as I've said many times you're free to think what you want about female comedians. I don't care that you think women aren't funny. That's a non issue really.
The problem is that you say one thing and then say something that contradicts it, and talk to me about not understanding? Hilarious!






What has that got to do with anything?

Tell me something is Brendan Grace a great comedian?

This thread.....is about the women aren't funny myth....not what comedian I find funny...do you understand the difference?

Do you accept that male comedians earn way more money than female comedians...largely but not only because of ticket sales.

Do you think that that earnings difference between the genders is because of the patriarchy or because women are just not cutting it on the professional circuit? (with some exceptions I accept)

Why in gods name would my personal opinion on Brendan Grace or any other successful comedian matter...it is a PERSONAL OPINION...the only way to gauge what comedians can be rightly considered (for a variety of reasons) the funniest/most popular/most successful is what they earn, in particular from ticket sales because venues are not yet subjected to quotas, which most TV stations and comedy clubs are or do.

I am not saying anything contradictory....stop repeating that....you are completely incorrect...you are struggling with my reasoning because it doesn't suit or match your precious personal opinion.

Triceratops Ballet wrote: »

Since you aren't following i'll break it down for you.

You proposed that ticket sales was an adequate measure that men are funnier than women.

Fine. But by that logic, it means that the comedian (or football team or musician) who sells the most tickets must be the best.
I am saying that's a flawed method of judging quality because if that is the gauge you're using it means someone like Michael McIntyre or Peter Kay is the greatest comedian of our times (a fact I and many other posters in the thread believe to be untrue)
Ticket sales are not an indication of how funny someone is only of how well they can sell tickets.
Just like how if one direction can outsell the beatles it doesn't mean they're better than the beatles

Come out of the clouds you m##on!

The hypothesis of "women aren't funny" is a fairly open to interpretation line.

Does it mean they aren't as funny as men, aren't as funny as men and they are hardwired to be that way, can be funny but not as a profession, can be funny for a profession but won't be as present in the higher quality end of the comedy circuit, generally aren't or just aren't funny at all, full stop? Which is it?

I won't write off the possibility of women being funny, I have only one criteria when it comes to comedy or humour, does it make me laugh? It doesn't matter where you're from, gay or straight, black, white, Chinese, man or woman. It doesn't even necessarily matter if it's deeply offensive or not, if it's clever in delivery then all sorts of material can work, such is the skill of properly funny people.

When it comes to results though, being quite familiar with many forms of comedy, I know many women I'd consider funny to some degree, but I don't know a single professional comedian who has given me a proper knee slapping laugh. Better yet, find me a single woman comedian who has people rolling around the place, keeling over with genuine laughter. There are practically none. The likes of Sarah Millican show glimpses of laughs, but they aren't high-end, mediocre warm up acts at best. As for Luisa Omielan, Sarah Parris, Tina Fey, Amy Schumer, Hannah Gatsby, absolute dog**** comedians. When they can't get a laugh they go to smut or the false profound, neither of which are funny.

There seems to be a trend of this miserable female comedian with some sort of political message (the Amy Schumer school of comedy). The latest of which is Fern Brady. Watching her set was a joyless experience, this is supposed to be entertainment, give me a ****ing joke not some diatribe about how it's sad that Northern Ireland has no abortion rights. She's from Scotland, the country that gave the world Billy Connolly, Frankie Boyle, Kevin Bridges, what a comedown.

As an example of quality comedy, look no further than the current Helen Lovejoy meltdown du jour, Mr Louis CK. His new recorded material has created all sort of ripples among the self-appointed global censors and permanently offended. What these arseholes fail to mention is that the show is absolutely gold. It has several moments of tears in eyes level of laughter. I guess his material (and I'll stick to the material thanks) won't appeal to the joyless target market who lap up Amy Schumer in the 3 arena, but people with a genuine sense of humour will more than likely prefer it to the pretenders.

Find me something that makes me laugh like that then we'll talk. Not bull**** thought provoking or faux profound, I have no interest in failed comedians turned social commentators like Jarlath Regan and Hannah Gatsby. Give me the funny or **** off!

ligerdub wrote: »

The hypothesis of "women aren't funny" is a fairly open to interpretation line.

Does it mean they aren't as funny as men, aren't as funny as men and they are hardwired to be that way, can be funny but not as a profession, can be funny for a profession but won't be as present in the higher quality end of the comedy circuit, generally aren't or just aren't funny at all, full stop? Which is it?

I won't write off the possibility of women being funny, I have only one criteria when it comes to comedy or humour, does it make me laugh? It doesn't matter where you're from, gay or straight, black, white, Chinese, man or woman. It doesn't even necessarily matter if it's deeply offensive or not, if it's clever in delivery then all sorts of material can work, such is the skill of properly funny people.

When it comes to results though, being quite familiar with many forms of comedy, I know many women I'd consider funny to some degree, but I don't know a single professional comedian who has given me a proper knee slapping laugh. Better yet, find me a single woman comedian who has people rolling around the place, keeling over with genuine laughter. There are practically none. The likes of Sarah Millican show glimpses of laughs, but they aren't high-end, mediocre warm up acts at best. As for Luisa Omielan, Sarah Parris, Tina Fey, Amy Schumer, Hannah Gatsby, absolute dog**** comedians. When they can't get a laugh they go to smut or the false profound, neither of which are funny.

There seems to be a trend of this miserable female comedian with some sort of political message (the Amy Schumer school of comedy). The latest of which is Fern Brady. Watching her set was a joyless experience, this is supposed to be entertainment, give me a ****ing joke not some diatribe about how it's sad that Northern Ireland has no abortion rights. She's from Scotland, the country that gave the world Billy Connolly, Frankie Boyle, Kevin Bridges, what a comedown.

As an example of quality comedy, look no further than the current Helen Lovejoy meltdown du jour, Mr Louis CK. His new recorded material has created all sort of ripples among the self-appointed global censors and permanently offended. What these arseholes fail to mention is that the show is absolutely gold. It has several moments of tears in eyes level of laughter. I guess his material (and I'll stick to the material thanks) won't appeal to the joyless target market who lap up Amy Schumer in the 3 arena, but people with a genuine sense of humour will more than likely prefer it to the pretenders.

Find me something that makes me laugh like that then we'll talk. Not bull**** thought provoking or faux profound, I have no interest in failed comedians turned social commentators like Jarlath Regan and Hannah Gatsby. Give me the funny or **** off!

The thing is, Amy Schumer has dabbled in politics (more activism really) as a side thing. Her standup is almost completely not political or right on. Her show has the odd bit of political commentary but still just the odd sketch.

You have to wonder if you're looking at a pretty non political female comedian and all you see is political stuff, are you being even vaguely objective?

LLMMLL wrote:

You have to wonder if you're looking at a pretty non political female comedian and all you see is political stuff, are you being even vaguely objective?

Hmmmmm, didn't she shame some of her audience members not so long ago due to their political beliefs? People who paid to see her show and she openly opens the floor to the masses to put scorn on them.

Pretty objective amigo.

Men are generally funnier than women in a personal sense. This is reflected in the comprehensive male dominance of all forms of comedy entertainment, despite the increasing ideologically driven tokenism to alter this reality.

I’ve always felt that this imbalance originates from the different ways males and females interact among themselves and with each other: males and females being intrinsically different. Men are funnier out of necessity.

Growing up, there is a good deal more physicality in the way boys interact and a far more proximate threat of physical violence therein. Humour is a key tool in deterring violence and defusing tense situations. Hence, by necessity, many boys develop a sharp wit as a survival mechanism.

Later, when boys start to become interested in girls, the onus is generally on them to impress the targets of their affections. Humour is a key means of doing this, being a sure way to many peoples’ hearts. Girls need to jump through fewer hoops in a performative sense to attract a desirable partner. Looking good and being comparatively sane is generally enough for a young woman to attract a young man; men need more strings to their social bow to maximize their prospects and hence often develop a strong sense of humour out of necessity.

Finally, men are generally more competitive than women. From an early age, they are more likely to compete among themselves to be the funniest. This petty competition, which will often continue into adulthood, further hones their comedic skills.

Obviously, I can only generalize and offer a subjective opinion. Some individuals smash the moulds I just set out and that’s great too. I base my opinion on growing up with, working, socializing and living with men and women throughout my life. I’m not arguing that it makes men superior or that women can’t be funny, just an attempt the make sense of a norm most of us will confirm we have observed, if we are honest and untainted ideologically.

facehugger99 wrote: »

Women are generally less funny than men.

Which doesn’t mean that there’s no such thing as a funny woman.

Ya know, (quite apart from comedians) I don't agree.

I know so many women that are hilarious in conversation: not so many men.

Could it be that each sex feels freer to be "funny" among their own gender and a bit more guarded when among the opposite sex?

ligerdub wrote: »

LLMMLL wrote:

You have to wonder if you're looking at a pretty non political female comedian and all you see is political stuff, are you being even vaguely objective?

Hmmmmm, didn't she shame some of her audience members not so long ago due to their political beliefs? People who paid to see her show and she openly opens the floor to the masses to put scorn on them.

Pretty objective amigo.

It's pretty clear you're completely unfamiliar with her work if you think one viral story about one routine involving one political element to her show overrides her years of no political stuff.

Just do a random YouTube search for one of her appearances and I can pretty much guarantee there'll be zero mention of politics.

Franz Von Peppercorn wrote: »

In mixed situations men also tend to be funnier. Of course we can’t really talk about what women do when they get together if we are not female.

Disagree here too: men in a mixed group who think they're being funny are inexpressibly tedious, and only get laughs from other men.

So maybe the sexes have a different sense of humour, which would explain a lot about this thread.

Bambi wrote: »

Day Lewin wrote: »

Disagree here too: men in a mixed group who think they're being funny are inexpressibly tedious, and only get laughs from other men.

So maybe the sexes have a different sense of humour, which would explain a lot about this thread.

I doubt that, men seem to have an evolutionary imperative to make women laugh, it might be linked to another evolutionary imperative they have regarding women

I don't know why this evolutionary argument is constantly trotted out. Most men will start using humour in their all male social groups long before they get close to impressing a woman.