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Original poster

Is Sir Michael Parkinson within his rights?

732 replies

flaviaritt · 07/11/2020 14:51

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?

OP posts:
sst1234 · 07/11/2020 15:27

I don’t think it’s true in principal, but the female comedian that we have out there are mostly subpar. Maybe women in general are not forthcoming in making jokes about its same confidence that men are. So we end up with non funny female comedians pushed onto tv to make up the numbers.

Original poster
flaviaritt · 07/11/2020 15:27

Sparklingbrook

I think you can compare. Kevin Bridges makes me spill liquids out of my nose. Victoria Wood doesn’t make me laugh like that.

OP posts:
canofoldworms · 07/11/2020 15:28

He comes from Yorkshire Grin

PinkSparklyPussyCat · 07/11/2020 15:28

It depends whether he's taking about women in general or comedians. I can't think of a single female comedian I find funny but I know a lot of funny women

Baggingarea · 07/11/2020 15:29

Wtf I had to Google him because I literally thought he was dead. Shows how relevant he is I suppose!

Aone · 07/11/2020 15:29

He'll be dead soon enough. Imagine having a life as full of privilege, opportunity and fame as his and it only amount to a handful of derogatory opinions that can barely stretch to a column inch? - what a waste

Christ! I didn't even like his interviewing style but he was phenomenally successful for decades. His legacy will be his TV and radio career and his writing, not one quote from a magazine.

thecatsthecats · 07/11/2020 15:30

@Smellbellina

But the people I find the funniest do tend to be men.

Comedian wise I agree but it’s not how it plays over with the average Joe/Jane, weird 🤷🏻‍♀️

I wonder if it's something to do with the niche female comedians are expected to fill? Because male comedians usual shtick is about life, or the specific defects of their character.

Bill Bailey being surreal and into music/animals. David Mitchell history jokes. Etc etc - it's about quirks of their personality that are nothing to do with gender, and the general relatable underdog feelings/irritations we all get.

Whereas female comedians are more driven to jokes about female experiences. I don't like Jo Brand or Sarah Milican when their material leans so much towards "hey look, we're women, cake, periods, haha".

But say, Sarah Pascoe doesn't do that so much and thus I find her funnier.

Original poster
flaviaritt · 07/11/2020 15:30

Whereas female comedians are more driven to jokes about female experiences. I don't like Jo Brand or Sarah Milican when their material leans so much towards "hey look, we're women, cake, periods, haha".

It might be that.

OP posts:
Sparklingbrook · 07/11/2020 15:30

@flaviaritt

Sparklingbrook

I think you can compare. Kevin Bridges makes me spill liquids out of my nose. Victoria Wood doesn’t make me laugh like that.

I am not so sure you can. Unless you compare every male comedian with every female comedian which would take quite some time.

Thinking about it I have never cried with laughter at a female comedian though. I am a truly bad person obviously.

Dongdingdong · 07/11/2020 15:32

I don’t think it’s a matter of understanding anything. It’s completely subjective, isn’t it? He finds men funnier than women.

How can you possibly make such a blanket statement? Men and women are individuals, not homogenous groups.

Sad how you're prepared to tolerate such blatant sexism, OP.

Original poster
flaviaritt · 07/11/2020 15:32

Sparklingbrook

I think human beings naturally generalise from their experience. So “men are funnier than women” is shorthand for my longer statement of “The men I have seen being funny have, hitherto, been more successful at making me laugh than the women”.

OP posts:
Original poster
flaviaritt · 07/11/2020 15:33

Dongdingdong

I genuinely don’t think it is sexism. He doesn’t find women as funny as he finds men. What is he meant to do?

OP posts:
TheMarzipanDildo · 07/11/2020 15:35

He’s entitled to make himself sound like a cock, yes.

nicky7654 · 07/11/2020 15:35

I agree with him. Most women comedians arnt funny in the slightest and lots of women are so uptight these days with being so pc it's boring!! Spend a day with my husband and your have a laugh although your also be offended lol

FedUpAtHomeTroels · 07/11/2020 15:36

Opinions are like arseholes, everyone has one. We don't have to agree, we don't have to call everything we diagree with sexist either.

withlotsoflove · 07/11/2020 15:37

@TwoLeftSocksWithHoles

Makes you wish Emu hadn't contained his attack to his shoe.
😂 brilliant!
Dongdingdong · 07/11/2020 15:37

I genuinely don’t think it is sexism. He doesn’t find women as funny as he finds men. What is he meant to do?

Of course it's sexist - as I pointed out in my previous post, men and women are individuals, some funny, some not. It's nothing to do with their sex. Tarring all women with the same brush and saying that as a group we're not as funny as men is as offensive as it is idiotic.

If he said he doesn't find women as intelligent as men, would you think that was sexist?

MrsBrunch · 07/11/2020 15:37

@flaviaritt

Dongdingdong

I genuinely don’t think it is sexism. He doesn’t find women as funny as he finds men. What is he meant to do?

Mix with more women? Let's face it, the vast majority of his career and life experiences will have been in the company of men.
Dongdingdong · 07/11/2020 15:37

Spend a day with my husband and your have a laugh although your also be offended lol

I'll pass, thanks Hmm

SueEllenMishke · 07/11/2020 15:38

I genuinely don’t think it is sexism. He doesn’t find women as funny as he finds men. What is he meant to do?

That's different to saying that men are funnier than women.

Expressing a preference is one thing - you don't have to agree.
But stating as fact and saying men, as a group, are funnier than women is completely different.

Calmandmeasured1 · 07/11/2020 15:38

He"s allowed to voice his opinion. He said it in response to it being suggested that men don't show their emotions. He disagreed with that and said, in his experience, men are sensitive amd then went on to say he thinks men are funnier than women. I can't see any reason to take offence. He's lived mainly in a time where there are far more men, rather than women, comedians.

Sparklingbrook · 07/11/2020 15:38

@flaviaritt

Sparklingbrook

I think human beings naturally generalise from their experience. So “men are funnier than women” is shorthand for my longer statement of “The men I have seen being funny have, hitherto, been more successful at making me laugh than the women”.

Well in that case, from my experience in RL it's my female friends and co workers who make me laugh the most but on TV it's males. Make of that what you will.

That said, I haven't seen anyone side splittingly funny at all on TV for quite a while sadly.

CaptainMyCaptain · 07/11/2020 15:39

He is obviously wrong but he's entitled to his opinion. It doesn't really affect anyone else

RomeoLikedCapuletGirls · 07/11/2020 15:40

I think it’s not that men are funnier than women because I know a lot of funny women. It’s just that men, having had more time and developed more confidence on the public stage, have set the template for funny.

Also women modify their speech and subject matter when in the presence of mixed company whereas men, male interests and humour being seen as the default, don’t have to.

GrouchyKiwi · 07/11/2020 15:40

"I find men funnier than women" = fine.

"Men are funnier than women" = not fine.