The 'women aren't funny' myth

Franz Von Peppercorn · 01-01-2019 4:13pm

Silentcorner wrote: »

Two words....Hannah Gadsby!

She’s more a feminist lecturer than a comic. Some politically correct comedy is moving that way. I don’t think comedy will survive the middle class left, might restricted to certain working class clubs or veery banal humour - Michael McIntyre etc.

Pussyhands · 01-01-2019 4:13pm

lufties wrote: »

Token culchie female 'comedian'. Filling RTE quotas no doubt.

I always thought Spittle was given a slot on RTE because she was disabled, had autism or a learning disability or something?

Wilberto · 01-01-2019 4:14pm

I always found Holly Walsh to be funny.

Silentcorner · 01-01-2019 4:18pm

Triceratops Ballet wrote: »

Do you genuinely know that many men who are laugh out loud funny either though?
I don't and if I were to think of the people I know, I'd say it's at least 50/50 in terms of who's funny, the women I know definitely have a sharper maybe drier wit whereas the men tend to go for bigger laughs or bits. I wouldn't say on the whole either is more or less funny than the other just different

It probably depends on what you circle of friends are though...

If women were as funny as you have experienced we would have more female comedians, outside of shows with quotas where else can we find these gems of comedy...are they selling out venues and arenas?

Lets just say, that there was 500,000 tickets sold in this country last year to comedy acts, as in people went out and bought tickets to specific comedy acts...what percentage of those were for male comedy acts versus female comedy acts? That is your answer.

That is the free market operating where people have freedom of choice.

Wilberto · 01-01-2019 4:18pm

Also, I find Sarah Millican to be quite hilarious and is probably one of my favourite comedians.

Pussyhands · 01-01-2019 4:33pm

Wilberto wrote: »

Also, I find Sarah Millican to be quite hilarious and is probably one of my favourite comedians.

Jesus no.

"I'm fat and loud - laugh at me"

LLMMLL · 01-01-2019 4:45pm

Silentcorner wrote: »

Lets just say, that there was 500,000 tickets sold in this country last year to comedy acts, as in people went out and bought tickets to specific comedy acts...what percentage of those were for male comedy acts versus female comedy acts? That is your answer.

That is the free market operating where people have freedom of choice.

Do you think the comedian who sold the most tickets in the last year is the funniest comedian?

alchemist33 · 01-01-2019 4:47pm

Wilberto wrote: »

Also, I find Sarah Millican to be quite hilarious and is probably one of my favourite comedians.

Yes, I like her too, and love her accent.

The only place I really see female comedians is panel shows on TV, and it's true that they often don't stand out as being particularly good. Exceptions I've seen are Jo Brand and Victoria Coren (not a comedian, I know) who do a very good job of hosting shows.

MEGA BRO WOLF 5000 · 01-01-2019 4:51pm

Pussyhands wrote: »

Jesus no.

"I'm fat and loud - laugh at me"

That’s most female comedians to be fair.

I’d have held the opinion most of my life that women aren’t funny, went to a comedy show a couple of years ago and Nina Conte absolutely stole the show, she’s the woman who uses puppets and ventriloquism in her comedy, it shouldn’t work but it does, she was fantastic.

Unfortunately she’s the exception to the rule.

I think the big problem here is that women can be funny BUT the most heavily promoted female comedians out there such as Amy Schumer and Sarah Silverman are men hating unfunny nasty people. That grinds on a lot of people’s gears, they do women no favors at all. Promoting women comics simply because they’re women is bad for everyone.

Triceratops Ballet · 01-01-2019 5:23pm

Silentcorner wrote:

If women were as funny as you have experienced we would have more female comedians, outside of shows with quotas where else can we find these gems of comedy...are they selling out venues and arenas?

Silentcorner wrote:

Lets just say, that there was 500,000 tickets sold in this country last year to comedy acts, as in people went out and bought tickets to specific comedy acts...what percentage of those were for male comedy acts versus female comedy acts? That is your answer.

Silentcorner wrote:

That is the free market operating where people have freedom of choice.

Is selling out venues and arenas the measure of how funny you are?

Also proposing that as an accurate tool for measurement is flawed. There would have to be equal opportunity for people to choose to buy a ticket to a male comic or a female one for that to be an accurate reflection of if men are funnier than women or not. What your attempting to prove is that famous male comedians are more popular than female ones and can thus tour and sell out arenas, but that doesn't prove talent or some inherent funniness

Silentcorner · 01-01-2019 5:25pm

LLMMLL wrote: »

Do you think the comedian who sold the most tickets in the last year is the funniest comedian?

Ha ha haaa...nice try!!

I'll put it to you another way, tot up the amount of tickets male comedians sell and compare them to the amount of tickets female comedians sell. There are no quotas imposed on venues.

Silentcorner · 01-01-2019 5:26pm

Triceratops Ballet wrote: »

Is selling out venues and arenas the measure of how funny you are?

Also proposing that as an accurate tool for measurement is flawed. There would have to be equal opportunity for people to choose to buy a ticket to a male comic or a female one for that to be an accurate reflection of if men are funnier than women or not. What your attempting to prove is that famous male comedians are more popular than female ones and can thus tour and sell out arenas, but that doesn't prove talent or some inherent funniness

So we just all depend on our anecdotal evidence so right??

Do you think we should impose quotas on venues?

Silentcorner · 01-01-2019 5:27pm

Triceratops Ballet wrote: »

Is selling out venues and arenas the measure of how funny you are?

Also proposing that as an accurate tool for measurement is flawed. There would have to be equal opportunity for people to choose to buy a ticket to a male comic or a female one for that to be an accurate reflection of if men are funnier than women or not. What your attempting to prove is that famous male comedians are more popular than female ones and can thus tour and sell out arenas, but that doesn't prove talent or some inherent funniness

Is there a better more scientific way I don't about?

coffee_cake · 01-01-2019 5:28pm

Hunky Monster wrote: »

That’s most female comedians to be fair.

I’d have held the opinion most of my life that women aren’t funny, went to a comedy show a couple of years ago and Nina Conte absolutely stole the show, she’s the woman who uses puppets and ventriloquism in her comedy, it shouldn’t work but it does, she was fantastic.

Unfortunately she’s the exception to the rule.

I think the big problem here is that women can be funny BUT the most heavily promoted female comedians out there such as Amy Schumer and Sarah Silverman are men hating unfunny nasty people. That grinds on a lot of people’s gears, they do women no favors at all. Promoting women comics simply because they’re women is bad for everyone.

I don't like amy schumer's stand up but i do love her sketches.
I also love martina hill's sketches. tina fey is obviously very funny as well but not stand up either.

Triceratops Ballet · 01-01-2019 5:28pm

Oh and most of the funny female comedians I know of I've found through podcasts, they talk pretty openly about how difficult it can be to get gigs, either at stand up nights or on TV shows.
She was mentioned before but Jen Bristle is very funny, as are Jessica Fosteque, Sindhu Vee, and Felicity Ward.
Aisling Bea has her moments too but I wouldn't be a massive fan

Silentcorner · 01-01-2019 5:31pm

Triceratops Ballet wrote: »

Oh and most of the funny female comedians I know of I've found through podcasts, they talk pretty openly about how difficult it can be to get gigs, either at stand up nights or on TV shows.
She was mentioned before but Jen Bristle is very funny, as are Jessica Fosteque, Sindhu Vee, and Felicity Ward.
Aisling Bea has her moments too but I wouldn't be a massive fan

Welcome to the world of comedy...it is very hard to get gigs...any aspiring comedian will attest to that....openly....it's why, the market decides (outside of quotas)...comedy is unmercifully difficult...

Aisling Bea, along with Amy Huberman have just had a massive flop on RTE....not many male comedians are getting those opportunities!

Triceratops Ballet · 01-01-2019 5:32pm

Silentcorner wrote:

Do you think we should impose quotas on venues?

No, quotas don't serve anyone.

I'm pointing out that trying to use numbers to prove something that is entirely subjective is flawed. I'd be willing to bet too that it wasn't the most talented musician who sold the most concert tickets last year either.

irishgrover · 01-01-2019 5:33pm

Silentcorner wrote: »

Is there a better more scientific way I don't about?

I don't know if there is a betterway, but that way is very flawed. It makes the base assumption that that
a.) as many women as men are likely to purchase tickets for comedy venues
b.) that patrons are as likely to enjoy and value comedy from members of the opposite sex.

I imagine that both of the above are false, therefore the figures derived from them are flawed.

Silentcorner · 01-01-2019 5:36pm

Triceratops Ballet wrote: »

No, quotas don't serve anyone.

I'm pointing out that trying to use numbers to prove something that is entirely subjective is flawed. I'd be willing to bet too that it wasn't the most talented musician who sold the most concert tickets last year either.

The most popular musician did...

Lets look over a ten year period then...should iron out any anomalies...

Unless we want to keep making excuses that is.

Silentcorner · 01-01-2019 5:39pm

irishgrover wrote: »

I don't know if there is a betterway, but that way is very flawed. It makes the base assumption that that
a.) as many women as men are likely to purchase tickets for comedy venues
b.) that patrons are as likely to enjoy and value comedy from members of the opposite sex.

I imagine that both of the above are false, therefore the figures derived from them are flawed.

But that is my point...there is no other way...

The free market does not make assumptions...it reacts to what audiences want...

Laughter is involuntary....you cannot help what you find funny or who you find funny....gender doesn't come into it...it is a combination of talent and drive to overcome the difficult gigs to put yourself in a place where people are willing to pay to see you....it is not for the fainthearted....

Triceratops Ballet · 01-01-2019 5:40pm

Silentcorner wrote:

The most popular musician did...

Silentcorner wrote:

Lets look over a ten year period then...should iron out any anomalies...

Silentcorner wrote:

Unless we want to keep making excuses that is.

Excuses for what?you're making an entirely different point.

Women and men can both be funny. That's a fact.
Ticket sales have little to do with it.

Guy:Incognito · 01-01-2019 5:43pm

Hunky Monster wrote: »

.

I’d have held the opinion most of my life that women aren’t funny, went to a comedy show a couple of years ago and Nina Conte absolutely stole the show, she’s the woman who uses puppets and ventriloquism in her comedy, it shouldn’t work but it does, she was fantastic.
.

I dislike her stuff. Cant sit through the ventriloquist stuff at all.

To be fair I doubt I'd sit through a Male ventriloquist comedian either. Luckily enough there doesnt seem to be a mainstream one so it doesnt come up.

LLMMLL · 01-01-2019 5:43pm

Silentcorner wrote: »

LLMMLL wrote: »

Do you think the comedian who sold the most tickets in the last year is the funniest comedian?

Ha ha haaa...nice try!!

I'll put it to you another way, tot up the amount of tickets male comedians sell and compare them to the amount of tickets female comedians sell. There are no quotas imposed on venues.

You're putting it the same way. If ticket sales = funniness for entire genders then the same should apply to individual comedians. Therefore you should find the comedian with the highest ticket sales the funniest.

Silentcorner · 01-01-2019 5:44pm

Triceratops Ballet wrote: »

Excuses for what?you're making an entirely different point.

Women and men can both be funny. That's a fact.
Ticket sales have little to do with it.

You know...repeating that to yourself over and over won't make it so!!!

Sam Quentin · 01-01-2019 5:45pm

Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders are so funny that you would think they were men!?

LLMMLL · 01-01-2019 5:46pm

Silentcorner wrote: »

Triceratops Ballet wrote: »

Is selling out venues and arenas the measure of how funny you are?

Also proposing that as an accurate tool for measurement is flawed. There would have to be equal opportunity for people to choose to buy a ticket to a male comic or a female one for that to be an accurate reflection of if men are funnier than women or not. What your attempting to prove is that famous male comedians are more popular than female ones and can thus tour and sell out arenas, but that doesn't prove talent or some inherent funniness

Is there a better more scientific way I don't about?

Just because there is no scientific way to measure soemthing as subjective as funniness doesn't mean you can pick some flawed way to measure using ticket sales and declare it to be the most valid way.

The flaws in your argument have already been pointed out.

Triceratops Ballet · 01-01-2019 5:47pm

Silentcorner wrote:

You know...repeating that to yourself over and over won't make it so!!!

Can you clarify your thoughts here as it reads as though you believe no woman has the capacity to be funny?

Silentcorner · 01-01-2019 5:49pm

LLMMLL wrote: »

You're putting it the same way. If ticket sales = funniness for entire genders then the same should apply to individual comedians. Therefore you should find the comedian with the highest ticket sales the funniest.

I've no idea what you are on about there...I'll put it to you another way...Man Utd will probably sell more tickets to their games this year than any other club in the Premiership.... but it doesn't make them better than every other club...just more popular....but when you compare the ticket sales to football matches between the Mens Premier League and the womens premier league they are worlds apart...therefore, mens football is better/more popular than womens football....it is then not a giant leap to suggest men are better footballers.

Silentcorner · 01-01-2019 5:53pm

Triceratops Ballet wrote: »

Can you clarify your thoughts here as it reads as though you believe no woman has the capacity to be funny?

Ah go away out it...I know plenty of witty women...

The world of profession comedy it a different world...plenty of men fail at making it, much more than women I'd say! That is life!

LLMMLL · 01-01-2019 5:54pm

Silentcorner wrote: »

LLMMLL wrote: »

You're putting it the same way. If ticket sales = funniness for entire genders then the same should apply to individual comedians. Therefore you should find the comedian with the highest ticket sales the funniest.

I've no idea what you are on about there...I'll put it to you another way...Man Utd will probably sell more tickets to their games this year than any other club in the Premiership.... but it doesn't make them better than every other club...just more popular....but when you compare the ticket sales to football matches between the Mens Premier League and the womens premier league they are worlds apart...therefore, mens football is better/more popular than womens football....it is then not a giant leap to suggest men are better footballers.

Actually.its a huge leap. You start with something quite reasonable, that the best selling comedian is the most popular. That's clearly true.

However you then make a completely unreasonable point by a dodgy analogy with football and conflating most popular with best.

It's just a terrible unsound argument.

And it doesn't deal with the major flaw you keep avoiding. By your line of reasoning the best selling comedian is the funniest, not just the most popular but also the funniest. Do you agree that that's the case?

The 'women aren't funny' myth

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