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?

@kingofbears, I have a very similar system for organising books 😜

I agree with him, in my experience of comedians. But I find women just as witty and funny as authors or in general conversation.

He can say what he likes and he can also fuck right off.

That definition is terrible, though.

Yes, let's rewrite the definition of sexism FFS

@flaviaritt

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.

I just know how unconscious bias works and his own behaviour and words do seem to support what I'm saying.

Of course I can't say for for definite - it is just an educated guess based on years or researching the influence of unconscious bias, specifically around views on women.

Yes, let's rewrite the definition of sexism FFS hmm

It isn’t ‘the definition of sexism’. It is a definition. And a bad one. Sexism is a form of prejudice. It is not a belief that one sex is better or worse at something than the other. Because sometimes they are.

I just know how unconscious bias works and his own behaviour and words do seem to support what I'm saying.

Then feel free to hold that opinion. I don’t share it.

Jesus, old bloke born in 1935 comes out with an off the cuff, entirely predictable opinion for someone of his age and origins and it merits 12 pages of outrage on MN. You lot really are bored.

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

Whenever we express an opinion, there are potential consequences, the consequence for Parky of saying this is he will make people feel more or less favourable towards him.

For someone at his stage of career, this doesn't matter much I suppose.

I can tell you that when Victoria Wood died, the DM was immediately full of men commenting that she'd never made them laugh. So fucking boring. They can't help themselves.

I find male stand up comedians are generally funnier than female stand ups, and I also prefer men over women in comedy panel shows. I much prefer male DJs too, as well as male fitness instructors (a hefty proportion of the female ones I've known seem unable to conduct a step or body combat class without going "whooooooo!!!!" every couple of minutes).

That said I tend to find women are funnier and wittier than men in my everyday life. I can also think of many fine female comedians and comedic actors. Liza Tarbuck is a legend .

Whenever we express an opinion, there are potential consequences, the consequence for Parky of saying this is he will make people feel more or less favourable towards him.

True.

So... you're not wrong, the dictionary is wrong?

Yes I think that's the OP's gist

There has to be something you can relate to within what a comedian is saying to make them funny. I find I can relate to both some male and female comedians, and equally there are some of both sexes I don’t find funny. To not really be able to relate to a whole sex is a bit sad, but unsurprising given what I know about Michael.

So... you're not wrong, the dictionary is wrong?

It’s not the Holy Book. That definition is terrible.

not really be able to relate to a whole sex is a bit sad, but unsurprising given what I know about Michael.

He didn’t say women aren’t funny. He said men are (in his view) funnier.

@flaviaritt

So... you're not wrong, the dictionary is wrong?

It’s not the Holy Book. That definition is terrible.

What, in your opinion, is the correct definition and is it in a dictionary or is it a personal alternative definition?

Because redefining sexism is the first thing sexist people like to do. So that they can then say lots of secist things don't meet the definition of sexism.

BefuddledPerson

My definition of sexism is that it is a form of prejudice characterised by beliefs about attributes of the sexes that the person holds without reference to evidence or experience, and particularly that they hold even when they are proven to be false.

I just know how unconscious bias works and his own behaviour and words do seem to support what I'm saying.
Then feel free to hold that opinion. I don’t share it.

Haha so you want to rewrite the dictionary and question all the academic research that's been carried out on unconscious bias! You're going to be busy 😂

So, as an example, if a person said “Women are less intelligent than men” and when confronted by evidence that this wasn’t the case they refused to change their mind, I would argue that was sexist. But if someone said the same thing and then produced evidence that it was true, I wouldn’t.

Haha so you want to rewrite the dictionary and question all the academic research that's been carried out on unconscious bias!

I think there is some waffle about unconscious bias on this thread. There has been no “research” presented, just an opinion that I do not share.

@flaviaritt

Haha so you want to rewrite the dictionary and question all the academic research that's been carried out on unconscious bias!

I think there is some waffle about unconscious bias on this thread. There has been no “research” presented, just an opinion that I do not share.

Happy to share some research privately - I'm not doing it publicly is it would be very outing.

As previous posters have mentioned I'd also recommend the book Invisible Women.

I would suggest that many men don't find women as funny, as they don't know much about women's lived experience.

Women are more likely to find men funny, as we know more about men's experience (you know the "universal" experience) as we do our own.

Hopefully this will change, as men increase their unpaid caring/domestic work... We'll see how we're going in 500 years.

I don't think there is any hope for MP though.