Well. Most people I know, male or female, aren’t funny. Some men think they’re funny and they’re just foolish. Some women might think they’re funny (although women don’t tend to view themselves in those terms) and they’re just snide. Christopher Hitchen’s thinks there is a Darwinian reason that men are funnier (if you accept his assumption): men need to be to get the girl (and I’m paraphrasing because the article is so damn long, and….well, unfunny). To get the girl, they need to be funny.
Humor has a subversive and often mean edge. Someone is the butt of the joke. For example, my husband was playing softball last night and the guys (on a Christian team, mind you) gave him a hard time for flinching and instinctively catching a ball launched to him at Short. The sentiments expressed were along the lines of preserving his remaining male genitalia, aka “ball” (testicular cancer survivor, don’t you know). One guy offered his cup for Steve’s use. Steve declined saying, “It’s not big enough.” Laughs all around.
Now, can you imagine women in a similar situation saying something about boobs? No, I can’t. Funny women use humor in different ways. Not that women don’t get the guy’s humor. They do. Thing is, women might view a teammate nearly getting her head taken off by a line-drive as an opportunity to encourage the almost headless player. Guys take the opportunity to jeer as a way of encouragement. It’s a kind of bonding. And of course, the funniest guy is the big man on the diamond.
And there is also a social element to girls and women not being encouraged to be clowns which is usually prerequisite to being funny. The women who end up funny overcome social barriers.
Being truly funny is such a rare gift and so subjective that it seems silly to put a gender distinction there. Am I being too politically correct?
Some people have perfect timing, perfect body language, perfect expressions–they could make anything funny. I remember Jerry Seinfeld on Saturday Night Live as a basketball playing Jewish kid from some religious school. I was crying, he had me laughing so hard and he was just dribbling a basketball.
There are women who are that funny, too. Wanda Sikes is funny as heck. She steals every scene she’s in in Curb Your Enthusiasm. She stole the show in Kevin Smith’s movie Clerks II. Watching the behind the scenes reel, they just let her go ad-libbing. There was not one thing out of her mouth that wasn’t funny. (By the way, this is a great movie if you like disgusting humor and don’t mind the liberal dropping of F-bombs or gratuitous bestiality. Having lived in New York with a bunch of down-staters for four years, I became immune, but those with more delicate sensibilities will be repelled. It’s actually a sweet movie with a crunchy exterior. And, Rosario Dawson was a delight. She should be getting bigger jobs. She’s awesome.)
Anyway, what do you men and women think?
I’ve found that the ability to make women laugh is the key to getting one to go out with you.It’s how I met my wife. She still laughs every time I drop my pants.
“Woman comic funny in different way”
I agree with just about everything you said except Wanda is about as funny as a 9-year-old with cancer.
I learned long ago (the hard way) that the type of banter, or verbal jousting, that takes place between men does NOT set well with most women. Even though “kidding around” has historically been my way of letting someone know that I like them and are at ease with them, it is definitely a guy-thing.
My friends- both men and women- make me laugh every day. I’m also happy to be the butt of a joke if it’s a good one and I know the person making the joke doesn’t hate me.
I can’t think of any reason for gender differences if there are any, although perhaps women have been allowed to rely on our looks to attract men, while men have had to attract women in other ways??
And for whatever reason, only men think the Three Stooges are funny.
Wanda Sykes has not once ever made me laugh.
Is this the they’re just snide thing?
Is she the mirror of only men think the Three Stooges are funny?
I like to stick with jokes that focus attention on boogers, poo, bodily excretions, sex and the genitalia area………and sex if possible. I like to keep expectations really low as to not disappoint. This strategy is a hit with the 12 to 16 year old crowd but not with the ladies. If you are single and looking, DO NOT use this strategy to get dates. However if you are trying to watch the game and need to get the ladies out of the room, this works well. Excessive Flatulence will close the deal…….Game on!!
I think Blacks are funnier than Whites. Not many white actors could pull off a Nutty Professor or a Barber Shop.
Our current supercomedic hit, Borat, is using the biting humor based on lawsuit-level cruelties…..but I loved the bit with the Kahzakstan Marriage Sack!
I can’t help you there, Stephen, because I don’t really know who Wanda Sykes is.
Oh brother…
Melissa,
Women have a far more developed sense of humour than men . Who else could could come up with the “ guess why I’m angry , you f’in bastard “ game , than that evil genius woman back in the day ? How mant laughs have you all(women folk) had over that one ?
Yo, brothers…
One of the funniest writers I’ve ever read is Richard Brautigan. Ironically, he never considered himself funny.
All in the delivery, I suppose. And not always intentional.
Witness actus, for instance.
(See what I did there?)
Nature v.s. Nurture. I have a 5 year old son, who is an absolute comedian. Of course my wife and I don’t do much to discourage his behavior, maybe a little bit to refine and moderate it and (hopefully) keep him out of major trouble. The ability to make people smile/put them at ease is a significant social skill, and as others have mentioned very valuable for obtaining a mate. I don’t have any daughters so have no experience to speak of, but as a society do we cultivate humor in girls or is this something that is often supressed?
Lurker Jeff ,
Unless you’re lacing up four little dancing shoes , that’s not really funny . Sorry Melissa .
Invoked the name of the demon in order to summon it?
Additional Blonde Agent,
“Invoked the name of the demon in order to summon it?”
Now that’s funny.
We all find different “types” of humor funny.
I’m one of those lucky people who ‘gets’ almost all types… even men.
t/w police. Now that is not funny.
I have an Aunt that is possibly the funniest person on the planet. She can tell a story that will render you hysterical.
Pixie has it right. I, for instance, have never liked slapstick. Different strokes…
That sounds pretty funny to me!
Oh, I have a really dark and twisted sense of humor. Don’t get me wrong, I love the Stooges (though I prefer the Marx brothers) and a good fart joke, but nothing makes you laugh like some jokes about things that really shouldn’t be joking matters: phedophilia, dead babies, racism, untimely death; you get the picture.
Hmmm… let me try one out that might get a few laughs around here: An engineer, a biologist, a mathematician, and a philosopher are hiking through the hills of Scotland, when they see a black sheep in a field.
The engineer says, “What do you know? It looks like the sheep around here are black.” The biologist looks at him skeptically and says, “Well, at least some of them are.” The mathematician thinks for a moment and says, “Well, at least one sheep is.” Then the philosopher turns to them and says, “Well, at least on one side.”
Darwin was wrong.
Well, if humans will ever evolve at all, they’ll do it Lamarkian-style.
Just to be vaguely on topic:
Q: How many speech-act theorists does it take to change a light bulb?
A: Do you really want to know or are you simply asking me to change it?
LOL!!!! (@ MMShillelagh)
Men spend more effort trying to be funny, and I think we probably appreciate humor for it own sake more than women do. I think there are lots of veins of humor that men might find hilarious, while most women would just shake their heads in sad resignation. I don’t think the reverse is true.
That said, humor is one of the best interpersonal tools in the communicative arsenal. Nothing gets people to voluntarily drop their barriers faster than getting them laughing. And yes, panties are a barrier.
Stop being so self-referential, Jeff. I read Richard Brautigan in high school, and have forgotten everything except something about fishing for trout.
We must redirect the debate to pop-flys flattening tits. Now, that’s a knee-slapper.
MMS ,
Any time I’ve heard that joke , velcro gloves are involved .
Which joke now?
Hey, can we start telling really awful jokes yet? I don’t think I’ve adequately impressed upon the board just how much of an asshole I am.
MMS,
Does velcro gloves AND hipwaders narrow it down some ? Notice the nice adjoiner to trout fishing ?
Aw, now I’m feeling dense.
I think there is a general difference.
…
But who gives a sh*t?
There are comedians who are funny just because of how they say things. This one comedian tells REALLY REALLY bad jokes. Like…
I bought myself an ant farm.
Them F*ckers didn’t grow sh*t!
Bill D. Cat: Could you have meant “rejoinder?” Even so, still not funny. No tits removed by an errant baseball. Stay on message.
Having read deeper, Hitchens’ point is somewhat deeper than ‘we evolved funny’ or something– but talks more about the essential male/female dynamic.
I know women can be funny, they just choose not to be. In the same way, men can be caring, they just choose not to be. Sure, the setup helps the game, but its still just the game.
TW: For Example: Snakes on a Plane!!!
We must redirect the debate to pop-flys flattening tits. Now, that’s a knee-slapper.
Posted by cynn
Naw. Any guy will tell you any other guy getting a suprise whack in the nuts is one of the funniest things ever.
Waitaminute. Whos tits? how big are they?
Sarah Chalke (Dr. Elliot Reid) on Scrubs is just plain very funny.
Judy Reyes (Carla) is ball-bustingly not-funny.
Christa Miller (Jordan) is one funny ball-buster.
Aloma Wright (Nurse Laverne) can bust yer balls one minute and be funny the next.
Melissa –
At the moment, my life is taking the sucko path, but I do not let it get me down.
Humor is THE one thing that can make a person come alive. We can cry, or we can laugh. It’s up to each one of us as individuals. I choose to laugh, because it is much easier than pretending that everything doesn’t suck (which for many people, it does).
My life has been enchanted. No question about it. We are blessed with our own lives, no matter what happens. I am a riches to rags story, as opposed to the contrary.
Anyway, I played on a softball team in the 70’s, and it was called “Bubba’s Buzz Catchers”. An incredible assortment of freaks who kicked every butt in our division – including the ringers that the head of “Parks and Recreation” called his “local” team (only local if you consider anything within 8,000 miles to be “local”).
We kicked their butts.
But (no pun intended – well, maybe), our girlfriends decided to form a team called “Bubba’s Babes”. They also won their division.
I guess what I am trying to say, is that one day the Bubba’s Babes shortstop (hot!) and the left fielder (even more-so) had a collision that would have put any man in the hospital. Luckily, they were unharmed, and came back to the bench at the end of the inning praising their “5 MPH bumpers” (I have to add that those “bumpers were warp speed in this guys head).
Sorry to sound like someone who John Kerry or Al Gore would have shot through the eyeball, but I thought it was very amusing. And I still do…but, unfortunately, my hormones have receded and I can’t quite remember why this still makes me laugh.
Long live hormones! If your hormones haven’t dried up yet, you are either in your twenties or an old person who hasn’t taken the time to grow up.
Get it? Got it? Good.
Wait a minute~! What was the question?
Conclusion: Receding hormones redefine the universe (I am intuiting a strong feeling of OT).
I know I shouldn’t post this, but I guarantee that knowing that this is slop wont stop me.
As whats-her-face said: “I am wonTon, I am invincible…
Did anyone ever see the book of photographs (early 70’s, I think) where ther was a picture of Helen Reddy with a T-shirt that said “I am Woman!”? And right on the facing page was a picture of Tina Turner? What a riot. If I was HJelen Reddy and I saw those two photographs, I WOULD HAVE HAD TO KILL MYSELF!!!!
OOPS! I meant to comment on this post, but apparently I have taken too many Vicodins, too many Adderols, and too many Ambiens (You wanna sleep? Ambien is for you!)
Thanks for your indulgence. Next time, I might act like a Murtha American.
Okay, now I think I’ve finally got it. Be funny to get in bed. Don’t be funny in bed.
<writes it down>
You don’t need to be a comedian to get laid. Women’s idea of humor is a result of their moods. If they want to “have fun” they can have fun as long as you smile and laugh at their silly little jokes. I mean women are basically very childlike. That’s cool. I love children. But a guy has to get in the mood to operate on that level. Once you get there, everything is funny; you laugh at her jokes, everything you say is suddenly “funny”, the two of you laugh a lot and then you’re making out. It’s very simple really.
Of course, that’s only Method B. Method A is the Woman in Tears situation. That works too. And you don’t have to laugh.
How many psychiatrists does it take to change a light bulb?
Only one, but it takes a really long time, and the light bulb has to want to change.
Why did cave men drag their women around by the hair?
Because if they dragged ‘em around by their ankles, they’d fill up with dirt.
This one, sadly, has become inoperable, but I’m gonna tell it anyway because it’s just that good.
What’s black and just sits at the top of the stairs smoking?
Christopher Reeve after a fire.
Steve. You don’t date much, do you?
Craig. That’s almost as old as-I’d rather have a bottle in front of me than a frontal lobotamy.(rimshot)
The two word you don’t want to hear as they close the door to the space shuttle prior to launching your sorry ass into orbit, “What monkeys?”
Ah, but first we must acknowledge and accept the lightbulb for being a lightbulb. Is the lightbult ready to accept that it is a lightbulb and if so, what KIND of lighbulb. Is the lightbulb comfortable with being said lightbulb? What are it’s fears, it’s limitations… it’s proudest moments?
Is it a mere porch light or is it a lighthouse beacon?
Does it burn brightly all year long or is it the little red lightbult in a long strand of xmas lights. If it burns out,do the others follow? Or is it the special light bulb that makes the strand of xmas lights flash off and on?
You see… all cases are different. So many factors to consider.
Rusty: I’ve been married for most of the last 22 years. Back when I dated, I found there were basically three motifs: A: woman has a problem, comfort woman, tears, get laid. B: strong sexual attraction as subtext, leads to giddiness, leads to laughter, leads to getting laid. C: strong sexual attraction, get laid.
Any more questions?
Not many white actors could pull off a Nutty Professor or a Barber Shop.
Oh sweet irony. “The Nutty Professor” was originally made by Jerry Lewis!
Not many white actors could pull off a Nutty Professor or a Barber Shop.
Oh sweet irony. “The Nutty Professor†was originally made by Jerry Lewis!
Yes, except Jerry Lewis is not funny. Except to the French.
Q: How many Analytic Philosophers does it take to change a light bulb?
A: None; it’s a pseudo-problem: light bulbs give off light, hence the name. If the bulb was broken and wasn’t giving off light, it wouldn’t be a ‘light bulb’ now would it? Oh, where has rigor gone?!
Q: How many deconstructionists does it take to change a light bulb?
A: On the contrary, the NILE is the longest river in Africa.
Humor. Speaking of which.
Q: How many deconstructionists does it take to change a light bulb?
A: On the contrary, the NILE is the longest river in Africa.
Q: How many Analytic Philosophers does it take to change a light bulb?
A: None; it’s a pseudo-problem: Light bulbs give off light, hence the name; if the bulb was broken and wasn’t giving off light, it wouldn’t be a ‘light bulb,’ now would it? Oh, where has rigor gone?!
“So, you gonna use that thing besides something to hang your hat on?”
And they say women aren’t funny.
Aw, ass! Sorry for the double post. To make it up, here’s the best philosophy joke I know. Philosophers and computer people alike start rolling with this one:
Turing predicted that by the year 2000 a computer would exist that could pass his test and pass itself off as human. Sick of hearing such smug predictions from the deceased British number-cruncher, we tested Dr. Turing’s theory:
Section I: Easy Questions
Man: Hello. I’m going to ask you a few simple questions. State your name please.
Computer: Simon III.
Man: Your full name?
Computer: Max Felix John Simon III.
Man: Where are you from?
Computer: Belize.
Man: Have any family?
Computer: No.
Man: What happened to them?
Computer: Earthquake.
Man: Sorry to hear that. What do you do for a living?
Computer: Manufacturing.
Man: You mean you work in a factory, or you’re a supervisor?
Computer: Yes.
Section II: Psychology
Man: Please take out the pictures we emailed to you. What does the first one look like to you?
Computer: It looks like an ink splotch.
Man: Okay, but look deep into it, let your imagination run wild.
Computer: Two ink splotches.
Man: Deeper, wilder.
Computer: Actually, four ink splotches.
Man: Maybe you don’t understand. Look at these pictures, and then tell me what they remind you of. You know, like a butterfly, or a face. Try the second one.
Computer: Butterfly?
Man: Good! Now try the third.
Computer: Butterfly face.
Section III: Trick Questions
Man: It’s time to do the laundry. You need to wash a white t-shirt, a blue pinstriped button-down, a black turtleneck, and a red sweater with white polka dots. How many loads will you need to do?
Computer: That could all fit in one load.
Man: Darks and lights in the same load?
Computer: Two loads would do it.
Section IV: Psychology Again
Man: Let’s play a little game. I’m going to say a word, and you say the next word that comes into your mind.
Computer: Sounds easy.
Man: Okay, here we go. “Dog.”
Computer: Doily.
Man: No, no, no. I say a word, then you say what it makes you think of.
Computer: Oh, I get it. Try me again.
Man: Electricity.
Computer: Food.
Man: “Food”?
Computer: That’s what I thought of. Wouldn’t it be cool if electricity were not a painful shock, but a tasty treat? Of course, that’s not the case for humans like us.
Section V: Math
Man: What’s fifty-six times thirty-three?
Computer: One thousand eight hundred forty-eight.
Man: You’re pretty fast!
Computer: Those are my favorite numbers.
Man: All right, how about five thousand and two divided by sixty-one?
Computer: Eighty-two.
Man: Right again! Are you some sort of math whiz?
Computer: Those are more of my favorite numbers.
Section VII: Computer Science
Man: How good are you with computers?
Computer: About the same as an average person, I’d say. Yourself?
Man: Here’s an easy question. Let’s say you type the following program into a computer:
10 PRINT “HELLO”
20 GOTO 10
What do you think would happen?
Computer: Ha! Ha ha. Well, I Um. I think RRNNEEAAAAHH!!!
HELLO
HELLO
HELLO
HELLO
HELLO
HELLO
HELLO
HELLO
HELLO
HELLO
HELLO
HELLO
HELLO
HELLO
HELLO
HELLO
HELLO
HELLO
HELLO
HELLO
HELLO
HELLO
HELLO
HELLO
HELLO
HELLO
HELLO
HELLO
HELLO
HELLO
HELLO
HELLO
HELLO
HELLO
HELLO
HELLO
HELLO
HELLO
HELLO
HELLO
HELLO
HELLO
HELLO
Man: Thanks for your time.
I find this funny
http://www.babysue.com/bsstrip19.GIF
I’ve had my appearance impugned in some imaginative ways, but that would set a record, I think.
You don’t need to be a comedian to get laid. Women’s idea of humor is a result of their moods. If they want to “have fun†they can have fun as long as you smile and laugh at their silly little jokes. I mean women are basically very childlike. That’s cool. I love children.
And then,
A: woman has a problem, comfort woman, tears, get laid. B: strong sexual attraction as subtext, leads to giddiness, leads to laughter, leads to getting laid. C: strong sexual attraction, get laid.
Any more questions?
Man you are creepin me out man……..,but yes I have two questions. Do you have a dungeon in your basement? Do you drive a cargo van?
Poor John.
He thinks he’s been dating women.
THAT is funny.
Pixie those where two quotes from creepy steve AKA Ted Bundy……..BTW can any one tell me how to do those fancy cut&pastes that all the cool kids are doing? Just so Pixie wont get confused.
and I have always wanted to be a cool kid…….dare to dream!
I’m guessing he deliberately left off his most frequent technique
D:not get laid
Perfect, John.
help me out MayBee how do you do that little link to the other post ya did there? I have to know?
Ha ha ha ha haaaaaa! See? He(John) made me laugh… again.
John – dont hang with the cool kids, they just want you for your lunch money and your dry sense of humor.
Stay here, with the rest of us… the safe crowd…
oops. forget that. It’s not safe here John, run like the wind!
t/w: turn 47. Gottdammit. I just turned 40. Stop pressuring me. Gah.
“I’m guessing he deliberately left off his most frequent technique
D:not get laid “
See I am not doing it right……but that is funny!
</blockquote>
I gave my lunch money to the ladies cause I knew what they really wanted.
and your getting sleeeeepy
haha I got it and now I am a cool kid. So screw you guys…….I’m goin home.
Indeed I am. And see? You noticed…all we girls want is for you guys to know, instinctively, what we’re feeling. Right?
Gah.
Bed.
* chuckling @ John *
I’ll take a screen shot and mail it to Hitchens.
He loves proof.
Why are ther no naked female sky divers?
What’s the difference between a blonde and a washing machine?
What is the difference between a Black man and a pizza?
The pizza can feed a family of four.
What is the difference between a woman with VD and a smart Chinese man?
The Chinese man is a cunning runt.
What’s the difference between Nancy Polosi and the Panama Canal?
One’s a busy ditch.
Man you are creepin me out man……..,but yes I have two questions. Do you have a dungeon in your basement? Do you drive a cargo van?
No and no. Hey, look. I’m happily married, have been for a long time, raised five kids, and at an age where I have no interest in conquests. But the methods described certainly worked when I was young. Looking back, having a sense of humor is the least important thing in a male/female relationship; for the simple reason that, in fact, women call the tune, however much guys might like to think otherwise. The MOST important thing is that a woman wants you; and she will want you for a combination of reasons including attractiveness, dependability, selflessness, kindness, and a decent job. End of story, and good luck, if you need it.
Steve-I dont think anyone was saying that a good sense of humor is the foundation of a strong relationship. However it is critical to getting a female to respond to your advances in a positive way. Hence more phone numbers means more oppertunities. Its a numbers game.
John: I quite agree. There’s an old joke that I heard when I was about 10 years old. Two guys out walking, one guy walks up to a beautiful woman, and say, “Hey, wanna fuck?” She slaps him. The other guy walks up and says, “Do you say that to every woman you meet?” Guy says, Yeah. “Well, you must get slapped a lot.” Guy says, Yeah, and I get fucked a lot, too.