Is Sir Michael Parkinson within his rights?

[flaviaritt]

Says men are funnier than women. He says, ‘It's a very contentious statement, but they're much better'.

My view is that, by the age of 85, if you think men are funnier than women, it’s just your opinion based on your experience and nobody should be getting riled up about it.

Reasonable?

Can you compare though? Could someone say Victoria Wood is funnier than say Michael McIntyre?

Not to disparage MM but to compare him to the national treasure and generally recognise comic genius that was Victoria Wood then yes, I think if you asked across section of the British public more would find VW funnier.

We all know why there are more male professional comedians and that female comedians have to fight hard to get out of their 'female issues only' (just like we have yet to have a female foreign secretary or chancellor of the exchequer). In real life you are far more likely to hear women laughing together.

@flaviaritt

Within what rights?

Sorry, I thought that phrase was self-explanatory. Just whether this is something he is entitled to say, legitimate etc.

He's entitled to say whatever he wants, he just isn't entitled to have no consequences for saying it.

No, Sacha. No more book suggestions, please. Not until you can get the names of the authors right.

I'll take them
Have you got a title on unconscious bias?

Well he can’t factually say they are funnier

Because if anyone at all disagrees with him that men are funnier then it makes him wrong, unless he’s been given some sort of power to speak on behalf of everyone?...

He can say he thinks they are funnier, that’s an opinion, but not categorically they are - it’s subjective.

There’s a sentence from a short while ago is largely incoherent.

I will happily reword anything you don’t understand, Sacha.

Re that infamous Helen mirren interview. No point flagging it as it shows that he's a sexist dick, as op don't watch it and sort of hints that she wouldn't care anyway as she hates Helen mirren.

Maybe parkie hates female comedians/ comedy actors etc and so never watches them

Another vote for op being parkie.

Because if anyone at all disagrees with him that men are funnier then it makes him wrong

Really? How so? Isn’t humour just an issue of individual taste? Nobody is right or wrong, objectively speaking.

Victoria Wood, Phoebe Waller-Bridge.. I can't think of any other writers that I have found as funny.

It is just as sexist to value traditionally male arenas (stand up, dire panel shows) as higher in the pecking order of comedy than tradionally female/mixed arenas.

I find the same at work. I work in a female dominated sector, yet there are regular cock measuring presentations over Teams by male managers promoting themselves and their buddies. My manager (female) said that we really should promote what we do. I disagree, the cock measurers need to sit the fuck down and get on with some work, like the vast majority of their colleagues. (I put it more diplomatically )

He's entitled to say whatever he wants, he just isn't entitled to have no consequences for saying it.

What are we talking here?

@Magicpaintbrush

Well if MP is entitled to his opinion then so am, which is that he is talking utter bollocks. The last comedian I saw live was Sarah Millican and she was awesome, I laughed so much, she was hysterical - on the other hand I would rather chew off my own foot than endure watching man child Frankie Boyle who thinks being an offensive dickhead is the same thing as being funny - it isn't, it's very lazy and umimaginative 'humour' if you can even call it that.

Agreed Frankie Boyle is awful as is Nish Kumar and Jimmy Carr but I do like David Mitchell and Danny Baker and Romesh ranganathan. But I don’t judge the whole male sex on the male comedians I find unfunny

@kingofbears, I recently read White Fragility, which was fantastically informative, re: unconscious bias with regard to race!

Also, anything by Michelle Alexander.

@flaviaritt

Unconscious bias plays a huge part in how we see and value the role of men and women in society and will have hugely influenced his opinions.

Maybe. I don’t know what influenced his opinions, except his experiences.

There is no maybe about it. Everything we do, thought we have is influenced by unconscious bias. And yes, experience feeds into this. His experience involves a time when men and women were subject to particular societal expectations, expectations that saw more male comedians.

I just think he had a book out he wants to promote and his publisher has told him the best publicity is the free publicity if he says something that might get him “cancelled”

There is no maybe about it. Everything we do, thought we have is influenced by unconscious bias.

But you can’t say what those unconscious biases might be as they are... unconscious. You are speculating about them. And that’s fine, but it doesn’t help to make an argument that this is sexism.

I recently read White Fragility, which was fantastically informative, re: unconscious bias with regard to race!

White Fragility is on my bookshelf! Haven't got around to reading it yet. I'll add it to the bedside cabinet (there's a tier system in my house for priority of reading).

So in what way is this not a sexist statement?

That definition is terrible, though. Women are less able than men in some areas. Men are physically stronger than women (upper body strength). That isn’t sexism, it’s just fact. And humour is subjective, so there is no way of objectively ‘proving’ to a person who thinks women aren’t funny that they are, in fact, just as funny as men. It isn’t sexism because it can’t be demonstrated to be incorrect (since ‘funny’ is just an opinion).

Humour is such an individual thing. My husband loves Fawlty Towers and I find it excruciating, I liked Victoria Wood and her humour appealed to me. I don't think it was specifically because she was a woman and actually my husband loved her. I like John Bishop, DH doesn't find him funny at all. I don't think it is sex, humour is much more complicated than that.

@flaviaritt

There is no maybe about it. Everything we do, thought we have is influenced by unconscious bias.

But you can’t say what those unconscious biases might be as they are... unconscious. You are speculating about them. And that’s fine, but it doesn’t help to make an argument that this is sexism.

Given unconscious bias is heavily influenced by culture, society and the prevailing views of the time you can make a pretty educated guess.

Given unconscious bias is heavily influenced by culture, society and the prevailing views of the time you can make a pretty educated guess.

I don’t know if that’s factually true, but I suspect whatever I say you will continue to think it is.

“Really? How so? Isn’t humour just an issue of individual taste? Nobody is right or wrong, objectively speaking.”

Well it’s not if you accept the premise that men are objectively funnier than women.

Humour is subjective, so men, women, clowns, chimps riding bikes - you can’t just decide one just is funnier, except to you.

He's entitled to say whatever he wants, he just isn't entitled to have no consequences for saying it
Why should there be a consequence for having your own opinion on what you find funny. He doesn't thing women comedians are funny.
I may or may not agree with him but so what? I accept his right to think and say that. No comedians have been discriminated against for him having that opinion.
His daughter in law is Fiona Allen - comedy actress - Smack the Pony etc so rather an indelicate comment on the family front too*
But he didn't say women weren't funny, just that he thought men were funnier
What about the likes of Victoria Wood ? I can't imagine a funnier person male or female
I have hardly laughed at a single thing Victoria Wood has done. Some of her stuff has been slightly amusing to me, other people find her hysterical. Nothing wrong with either of us. Horses for Courses and all that!
*

Well it’s not if you accept the premise that men are objectively funnier than women.

I don’t think I said that. In fact, I didn’t say that.

Meh, some are, some aren’t.

Why should there be a consequence for having your own opinion on what you find funny.

Indeed. Maybe we should put everyone with an opinion different to our own in the stocks. Oh, hold on...