Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Heidi Guedel on September 26, 2009 at 2:04pm

I did write my autobio and the folks who've read it apparently enjoyed it. Every now and then I receive an email from a reader. It was certainly cathartic for me, and it always does my heart good to read the reviews on Amazon.

http://www.amazon.com/Animatrix-Female-Animator-Laughter-Saved/dp/0...

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Permalink Reply by Tarquin St John Sh'gn'sty on August 29, 2009 at 3:53am

I can't speak for guys generally,just for me: Intelligence,wit and open mindedness are qualities I've found in all of my friends of both sexes since I was about 6. (OK, I exaggerate,the average 6 year old isn't all that open minded)

The was guy was a plonker,a pity it took three dated to find out.

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Permalink Reply by Anne Halligan on August 29, 2009 at 11:42am

Victoria Wood, Dawn French, Jennifer Saunders, Ruby Wax, Pamela Stephenson, Catherine Tate, Jessica Stevenson, Tamsin Grieg, Jane Horrocks...that do for starters?

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Permalink Reply by MrBiggMan on August 31, 2009 at 7:28am

I think he was trying to complement you. Don't take it wrong.

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Permalink Reply by Little Name Atheist on August 31, 2009 at 12:55pm

Deborah Wilson Skelton is not only funny, but she impersonates women and men. Her Chris Rock and Oprah impersonations are a hoot! I mention this because I was once told that women can't do impersonations.

Yeah, right.

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Permalink Reply by Kelli Jae Baeli on September 13, 2009 at 3:27pm

Ellen Degeneres, Kathleen Madigan, Paula Poundstone...I think these women are funnier than almost anyone you can name...but maybe it's also about the fact that men don't GET female humor unless it's like THEIR humor. I have noticed that men and women don't generally laugh at the same things. Biology, and societal norms, I assume.

...but to hear Christopher Hitchens tell it, (video below) we are missing the point--and perhaps some of those men are missing the point. I don't have any definitive issue with Hitchens--enjoyed his book, (God is not Great) and appreciate his intellectualism, and his fearless atheism...but i do suspect he might qualify as a snob. But who know? Maybe that's not such a bad thing? Maybe it is. Jury's apparently still out in my mind...it occurs to me, as a gay woman, that there is the tendency in tight-knit, especially ostracized groups, to accept and support anyone in that group, regardless of whether that acceptance has merit. It's like I say about the gay community: I don't care if you're gay, straight, female, male or any variation--bad behavior is bad behavior. The pertinent point here is how we behave as HUMANS. So, are we quick to agree with atheists like Hitchens merely because he is atheist? It bears some thought. And perhaps i have digressed far past the subject of this post....but anyway...

It was hard to get through this video, because i had to keep smoothing my crest back down. Perhaps Hitchens' only error here, is in using only heterosexual explanations about the male-female romantic dynamic. What about those who are attracted to the same gender? How does he explain that aspect? Is that, perhaps, why so many female comedians are, as he says "Dykes...or butch"? Are they falling into the evolutionary male role of trying to gain points with women, by making them laugh?

I welcome and and all thoughts and ruminations about this.
Jae

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I7izJggqCoA

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Permalink Reply by SecretWombat on September 25, 2009 at 7:22pm

I actually found what Hitchens said to be quite homophobic. Not so much in his arguments but in the way he presented them.

I agree that humour appears to be different in either sex. It's probably societal norms more than biology. Men's humour seems to need a victim, whereas women's humour is more subtle and bond-building. My guess is that both genders prefer their own style of humour, which is why Christopher Hitchens and many other men simply don't find women funny and women are left scratching their heads at that.

Of course, that's just my opinion. This study argues that men and women find the same things funny. Mind you, the sample size was only 20 so a larger sized study might find different comedic preferences. Interestingly it found that women process humour in more parts of the brain than men. Both men and women found the same comic strips funny, but women are more critical and quicker to find a joke unfunny. However, when women find something funny their reward centres light up more.

That study suggests that Hitchens could be right and that women have evolved to appreciate humour more, and as a result of this more men try to be funny. Try being the operative term. I've personally encountered just as many genuinely funny women as men, but I think there are more men out there who just think they're funny.

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Permalink Reply by Greta K. on September 28, 2009 at 3:35pm

That's the kicker. Many men think they're funny when they're really not. I blame women for laughing at men's jokes when they're not at all funny. This does tend to pump up the ego, and we all know Hitchens is nothing if not an egoist. I say that as a huge fan of his writing.

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Permalink Reply by Little Name Atheist on September 25, 2009 at 7:38pm

It always pays to skim a thread to make sure that a video hasn't already been posted... like this one was back in April.

I still think Hitchens is a jackass for this.

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Permalink Reply by MrBiggMan on September 26, 2009 at 1:30am

It's not chauvinistic, it's a matter of opinion. Most girls aren't very funny. Even pro comedians.. can you think of any top notch ones? Bill Cosby, Richard Prior, George Carlin, ect, ect, 98% are male... it's just a fact of life.

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Permalink Reply by Greta K. on September 28, 2009 at 3:38pm

I think you pulled 98% out of a hat. It's a meaningless figure. I'm so glad you can name only male comedians. Broaden your horizons a bit, or as Dawkins would say, enlighten yourself.

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Permalink Reply by Prog Rock Girl on November 10, 2009 at 11:23am

And this could only be b/c women are intrinsically less funny?

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