Humor and Sexuality

Allow me to preface this blog post by defining my purpose. I in no way think that women are incapable of being funny, nor do I take a hardline, cold-hearted stance on the issue like Mr. Hitchens. I simply have a problem with the argument in general.

Now that I think being staked to the ground next to an anthill and coated with honey is no longer an option, allow me to proceed. I have a rule. I don’t generalize within arguments. Generalization, in my opinion, is the root of all evil. It offends. It over simplifies issues. And arguments directed at a large, ambiguous group are easily destroyed with examples that are either readily available or outliers.

It’s for these reasons I believe proclaiming women aren’t funny is an asinine, insipid endeavor. No conclusion will ever be drawn because humor, no matter how debated the topic, is purely subjective. However, people will more than likely offend certain parties in the attempt to come to a conclusion on the topic, and in the process the argument devolves into mudslinging and incorrect points by both parties.

Take, for example, several parties’ attempts to claim that funny women now-a-days are simply resorting to crass, “male” humor. Is it really male? Is it really so outlandish to claim that “male” humor is simply referred to as such because the environment of comedy is only becoming friendlier to female comedians as of late? That’s like claiming education is “male” because men during earlier times tended to attend school more often. I don’t think crass humor is male. It simply appeals to a certain audience that may not be entirely male. The same can be said for the arts of deadpanning, British understatement, parody and satire. Everyone possesses preferences.

As for the idea of outliers being used in an argument, that also draws little respect from myself. For example, comparing “Bridesmaids” to “The Hangover” doesn’t really work. Especially if one utilizes the profit margins as a sticking point as was done in class today. “Bridesmaids” performed well in the box office. I enjoyed it in its entirety. But comparing it to the “The Hangover” is useless when “Bridesmaids” made more than $100 million less than the wolf pack. Understand, I’m not selling “Bridesmaids” short, but rather calling “The Hangover” an outlier due to it’s exorbitant success.

Wow, look at that. I’m one hundred words over my limit. I guess all I’m trying to say is there’s little point in claiming women aren’t funny, and even less in comparing their comedy to men’s. Certain things work for certain people. The bridge between the sexes is thankfully closing, and I certainly hope it continues to do so.