to ask if to ask why men have a better sense of humour than women?

[mdowdall]

Was discussing this with my mate in the pub earlier. Why are women just not as funny (generally speaking) as men? Where are all the great women comedians? I can only think of Victoria Wood and that chubby one with the grey hair. It's just weird.

That's true - women are too scared to break the rules. They'd never say what Frankie Boyle says ( and whatever people think of him, he is successful ) - a woman just wouldn't go where he goes - she's too worried about what people think of her ( although she may be a Frankie Boyle on the quiet with her friends ) men are less likely to care what people think of them - in private or public.

How many male MNtters have been in the MN weekly round-up ?

What rules has she broken? - what does she say that's controversial?

I take it FB was the one doing the insults to Downs?

Sarah Silverman and Joanna lumley - hilarious.

Some male stand-ups think that insulting women and minorities is comedy, whereas I just find it/them offensive.

Many men think they are funny and think they have a better sense of humour. Is that what the OP means?

Why are women not as funny as men?

Probably because we don't think knob jokes and fart jokes are the epitome of humour.

Thanks PH. Not sure I can face that thread but will 'watch' this for when I can.

Carminabura:Sarah Silverman

Frankie Boyle is incredibly unfunny - just a total idiot whose only joke seems to be taking the piss out of fat women, the disabled, paedophilia. Just insulting people in a shocking manner is not actually the same as making a joke.

I love:

Dara O'Briain - his live stand up is true genius
Russell Howard - stand up and on the radio
Chris Addison
John Richardson
Eddie Izzard
Larry David

but I also love:

Tina Fey
Sue Perkins
Jo Caufield
Sarah Silverman
Victoria Wood
Julie Walters

Can't stand :

Frankie Boyle - although he was better a few years ago.
Jo Brand - one joke that was maybe funny in 1989, repeated ad infinitum
Gina Yashere - again, just one joke
Steve Coogan.

I think there are more female comics coming up now - certainly lots at the Edinburgh Fringe and they are FUNNY. As others said, it is juts a lifestyle unsuited to family life which may have stopped women in the past. Hopefully the tide is turning.

Finally (before this becomes a novel) FWIW I have both male and female friends and both are funny in different ways. A lot of my female mates are fucking hilarious in a very intelliegent way while my bloke mates are benerally better at banter. Sorry for going on and on!

Oooh also love Sally Phillips, Tamsin Greigg and Jessica Hynes.

Betty - thank you for the link - I'd never heard of her until today.

And agree FB was very funny in the beginning but became controversial for the sake of it.
Jo brand is a one trick pony ( although she co-wrote 'getting on' which was hilarious, her co-writers names escape me but are also female )

Sue Perkins I can't stand & for reasons I just can't fathom.
Victoria Wood and Julie Walters V. Funny but past it.

Yes! I loved getting on - she wrote it with Joanna Scanlan (also very funny) and Ricky someone or other. I think I enjoyed it partly cos i am a nurse and a lot of it was bang on the money.

Also, Janeane Garofalo. Ok I'm done now.

The light is never going to dawn for this particularly hapless OP sadly.

mdowdall - you don't think women are as funny as men because you are the kind of man (or possibly wee boy) who thinks that way. I suppose you could describe it as being sexist, or laddish, or whatever. As others have said, comedy is subjective and you are the kind of bloke who thinks that women aren't funny, and Frankie Boyle and Steve Coogan are. That's it. It makes you a bit vanille in your tastes but that is fine.

You make a big schoolboy error in justifying this by pointing out how few female comedians there are though - hope it's been made clear to you by now that historically, stand-up has been male dominated to the point of weirdness. Lifestyle factors/sexism etc. So you might as well remark how shit women are at being the Pope, as proven by endless Boy Popes remaining on Top Of The Game. It's like chasing eggs in a barrel or cats round a Pope.

You should only be slightly embarrassed by your OP, which reveals that in your wee world, man still = funny and woman still = not as funny. Maybe you should branch out, mentally, at some point. However it would still then be just fine not to like any of the growing number of female comedians on our Island.

And ONE OTHER THING - I happen to know FOR A FACT that Steve Coogan likes to have things put up his unmentionables by his lady friends. Where does that leave your theories now, eh? End of? Is it? IS IT???

I think the men and women find different things funny.

I also think that a lot of 'comedians' (using it for shorthand but I'm including humourous writers, as well as actors and stand-up comedians) are actually very screwed-up people inside- they stare into the abyss and report what they see. I think male observers are more likely to say- 'yeah, what a fuck-up, there but for the grace, etc etc' whereas female observers are more likely to say 'oh, it's not that bad, don't feel bad, it's not your fault etc' leading to very different reactions to humour.

I also think it very important that we have humour, and use it to explore our reactions to events, and to reflect on our behaviour and actions.

Oh yes, Tina Fey (Sarah Palin)!

I regularly PMSL on MN.

C'mon OP, tell me you don't find Miranda hilarious......

isn't 'the royle family' critically & publicly acclaimed as one of the greatest comedies ever? written by a woman?

sandi toksvik for the chanel 4 type of woman?

i can't remember her name, but there's a female comedian on the late night - usually men only - comedy shows in the US. She'd beating the men at the ratings.

I think there are a lot of reasons why men dominate the industry, just like there are a lot of reasons why men dominate most industries. and those reasons have nothing to do with how good men or women are at their jobs, but everything to do with a patriarchal society.

and a lot of the shows that the op has referred to are written by a team of writers, both male & female, so that kind of undermines his argument.

Sarah Silvermans delivery of her joke about going out with a guy who was half-black is as close to perfection as I've seen.

here

again, written by a team of writers, both male & female. which is the industry standard in the US.

I'm sure this has been said before, but I don't think that is the case. My female friends are very funny. I think it's that men DON't laugh at women's jokes whether they're funny or not. Or, men can only get humour that is male humour. Women can laugh at humour that is funny to men and funny to women.

My humble observation ( and I agree with ShoutyHamster to a large degree ) .......

There is something else.

Being on Mumsnet has been educational as well as entertaining. There is an insight into the female social circle, and it's fascinating. In a good way.

There is a type of humour women indulge in that seems to be aired mostly in the company of other women. It can be very very funny as I've seen on a number of threads on MN.

But I admit I don't really hear that humour ( as a man ) in general life. I think this issue was in the press recently. One explanation put forward was that women are a bit more careful about what they say in public and what people might thing of them...

isn't 'the royle family' critically & publicly acclaimed as one of the greatest comedies ever? written by a woman?

and a man