Posted on 08/14/2006 8:00:16 AM PDT by Millee
How many truly funny women do you know? Seriously? Me, it's under six and the only chick I can think of who consistently makes me laugh is my cousin because she's just got no bottom line. She'll crack a joke about the most inappropriate topic, at the worst possible time, in front of the very people who'll get most insulted by it and, I'm sorry, that's just some funny shit. So, come on — name me some funny (not just slightly amusing) women? Jane Turner and Gina Riley are funny. Roseanne Barr was a good laugh in her prime. Dannii Minogue is absolutely hysterical in almost every interview she does but, somehow I don't think she intends it…
When I brought this topic up with a relatively amusing female colleague, she said it was all about commonalities. Men make men laugh because we're wired the same way.
Which is a fair call, but I just seem to have experienced more women laughing at men's jokes than the other way around.
In all the other arts there are standouts and megastars, regardless of sex: Madonna, Meryl Streep, Isabel Allende to name a few.
Who then are the female peers to the slay-them-in-the-aisles comics like Eddie Murphy, Dave Chappelle, Rodney Rude, and Bill Hicks?
Ellen de Generes and Whoopi Goldberg? Yikes.
I know I'm opening myself up here to accusations of misogyny (again) but really, women don't get called man-haters when they bring up obvious psychological differences between the sexes.
The problem as I see it, is that the art of story telling is not encouraged in girls like it is with boys.
Girls, then women, tend to talk about emotional issues with their friends while men tell tales/lies about their adventures, achievements and conquests.
Guys learn pretty quickly that if they're going to make their friends shut the hell up and listen for a few minutes, their story has to have a point of difference; a funny ending, some sort of killer twist, reversal or a piece of wisdom.
How many times has an over-excited woman told you about some "amazing experience" and when she gets to the end of the story, you're just sitting there blinking, thinking "holy crap, that's it?"
Women, by and large, are also more self-conscious than men and, I believe, the key to making people laugh is the ability to first laugh at yourself.
I don't think most women can do that: they take themselves too seriously. They take too much to heart. A self-deprecating woman is an oxymoron, but it's a given for a bloke.
So, let me have it.
Now I remember! "The Naked Truth" was the sitcom. She did a bit where a single man posed as a researcher and talked her into living in a space helmet. There was a part where she opened the 'hatch' on top and dropped in an apple, then had to swing her neck and shoulder like a hulahoop until she got a bite-hold as the apple went by, using centrifugal force. It was hysterical!
Yeah, I think she's a real cutie!
Ellen is very funny, Whoopi much less so.
Rita Rudner is a dud, but yes it really is her doing the split.
I thought Andrea Martin and Catherine O'Hara from SCTV were absolutely hilarious.
And the timing. Don't forget the timing.
In my lifetime, I've actually made two people vomit, yes, vomit, from laughing hard - and really, it was because of the timing of my comment that caused the laughter... and well, barfing. Disgusting, but funny in itself. The rest of the time, I'm a sarcastic crab.
Oh my!
How could I have forgotten Carol Burnett and Vicki Lawrence!
All I have to do is see either one of them and I start giggling in anticipation.
Hey! I was being serious. :P
An example of my in-laws is the annoying "How are you" question. I once spent Thanksgiving counting how many times they said it. Then I wrote about it and sent it to the Erma Bombeck writing contest. *sigh* Didn't even place. Ah, well. I have since posted the entry here:
http://thecompostheap.wordpress.com.
I can't find what you wrote; too many links.
In any case, although there are a lot of funny women, the world of comedy is definitely male dominated. Asking an average person for a list of famous and well-recognized comedians of both genders, the result is that usually the person will rattle out a long list of men and a much briefer one of women.
This article may have a point, but I don't think the author's conclusions are entirely adequate to account for this discrepancy.
My assumption is the writer of this piece just knows boring people or is very hard to make laugh.
She's never done anything for me. Features are too sharp. I've never seen them but I'm guessing her bewbies are like sharp cones.
Many women are funny. They just don't make good comedians.
Leno had some female comedian on last month who I thought was very good funny and very good looking. I wish I could recall her name. I think she was Italian.
It was late... I was drunk... and you're just so darned cute!
HEh. Still is an interesting phenomenon.
That, or we need more reverse discrimination...ooops...I mean affirmative action. ;)
You always post Red X's when you flirt with a guy?
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