Why Dont I Find Girls Funny
We live in a time of profound modify and challenge and fifty-fifty though we think we know information technology all, there are withal some big existential questions that plague flesh. And I do mean man.
Is at that place a God or has information technology been a pointless existence? What does Brexit really mean? How tin information technology not be a toupee and how'd he get and so orange? But here'south the big one … are women funny? If I had a pound for every time I heard this tired, stupid question, I'd be a hanging out on a super yacht and Instagramming the shit out of my life in Made in Chelsea, not writing this response in my damp basement flat in Camden Town.
People are funny. These funny people can exist men or they can exist women or neither. They can exist gay or straight or somewhere in between. They can be alpine, small, fat, thin, standing upwards or sitting down, bearded (stop right there with that "hey and that's just the chicks" line), baldheaded, black, chocolate-brown, biscuit, xanthous, ginger and of course white. Funny people come in all the glorious shapes, sizes and flavours that human life has to offer.
Comedy is very unproblematic (although not actually, equally anyone who has died on stage can tell yous). It's nearly telling people stuff and making them express joy. Equally long as yous can connect with your audition, you're laughing, and hopefully they are too.
I've recently returned to comedy subsequently a gap of about 10 years in which I was working for the Labour party. It'south a comeback no ane really wanted to be honest – myself included – but I needed a task. And a decade on, there are many more female comics on the circuit or writing, starring in and making Television, radio and moving-picture show. There are and then many brilliant women who are either household names or are killing it on the excursion at every level – too many to mention. Katherine Ryan, Michaela Coel, Zoe Lyons, Kerry Godliman, Shazia Mirza, Susan Murray, Jo Caulfield, and Elaine Malcolmson merely scratch the surface.
Every bit in all walks of life, from politics to business, women comics are ascent up the ranks – especially cheers to organisations such equally Funny Women and Laughing Cows which are bright at giving a flake of back up, encouragement and stage time to female comics. But this big fat "are wimmin funny" question nonetheless hovers round us like a rotting elephant carcass and as a result, a lot of comedy that people see is very male, very stake and a bit stale. We nevertheless live in an age where men are thought of equally being the masters of humour. Women are allowed to be funny, simply in controlled numbers.
Television comedy console shows seem to have an irrational fear of putting more than ane adult female on at a time. These shows are about showing off, beingness loud and butting in with your i-liners or zingers. That'southward the deal. And well-nigh women I know who do these panel shows more than than concord their own in the highly masculine, hyper-aggressive cut and thrust of something similar Mock the Calendar week or Have I Got News For You. But it would be bully to evolve to a state of affairs where there could exist more than just i women per episode. To normalise women being on prime number-time comedy slots. To stop the i woman being the living proof point or real fourth dimension experiment for the "big question".
One-act nights at some of the land'due south most prestigious venues are frequently still an all-male lineup. I was at a venue in London the other night which prides itself on being all artsy, liberal and "right on" yet the lineup was all white chaps, who looked quite similar and who all had very similar fabric. I really felt for the headline human action because by the time he came on stage, the crowd (which was men and women) were more slightly bored. He was perfectly fine but his material seemed repetitive.
We had simply had an hour and a half of listening to 3 white centre-class guys talking about being single. I don't know why the people in charge don't remember near the dangers of repetition with an all-male lineup – they certainly do worry about it if they e'er dare to even dream about booking more than than two women comics on a big night. They have a fear that information technology will all be menstruation gags or, even worse, there will be extreme synchronised menstruating.
Sexist cultural gender norms play in to this. Humor tin be very powerful as it shows conviction and great intelligence – and in our culture that is still the male role. Be it the guy holding court in the bar, in the boardroom or on the panel bear witness. The message to women too oft is sadly nonetheless "be as bonny to men every bit possible" and being funny – or perish the thought – loud, ambitious, bossy, ambitious or even nasty merely doesn't quite fit that narrative. Women should be pretty. Men should be funny. Almost men prefer women to be their beholden audition, not their competition.
The late Christopher Hitchens, celebrated, respected essayist and social commentator, wrote a slice for Vanity Fair in 2007 pondering this big question and came up with these beauts: "There are more than terrible female person comedians than there are terrible male comedians, but in that location are some impressive ladies out there. Most of them, though, when you come to review the situation, are hefty, or dykey or Jewish or some combo of the three." He continues: "For men, information technology is a tragedy that the two things they prize the near – women and humour – should exist so antithetical." His partner even suggested that women got funnier equally they got older. "This might be true, but excuse me, isn't that rather a long time to have to look?"
Funny is funny. Having a fanny isn't a barrier to being funny. Total terminate. Let'south stop request this question. Information technology just reinforces the premise in an unhelpful style. Nosotros don't torture ourselves pondering whether men are funny after we spotter a slightly exhausting shouty panel show. Talent and humour is everywhere. Opportunity is not.
Equally with all fine art or culture, diversity matters in comedy considering audiences like variety, and similar hearing a range of stories and experiences that are interesting, quirky, different, shocking, rude, challenging but most of all funny. I don't think one-act should be some right-on education, merely information technology tin be a brilliant way of holding up a mirror to what'south going on and allowing us to talk nigh and laugh at things that are clearly mad, bad and deplorable. And allow'south be honest, we could all practise with a chip of that right now.
williamsthemannind.blogspot.com
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/feb/01/why-arent-female-comedians-funny-google
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