# The documentary 'women aren't funny'. Is it true or not **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 26, 2015, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-documentary-women-arent-funny-is-it-true-or-not/710956 "2015-01-26T21:59:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2015, 12:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-documentary-women-arent-funny-is-it-true-or-not/710956/41 "2015-01-27T12:53:04Z")
Samantha Bee thinks you’re wrong! ---
**Author:** ![brickbacon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/898d66/32.png) [@brickbacon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brickbacon)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2015, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-documentary-women-arent-funny-is-it-true-or-not/710956/42 "2015-01-27T15:34:14Z")
> [@marshmallow](#): > > Now that’s funny! Some of the most successful and celebrated comedians of all time are black guys doing race based commentary. Think Pryor, Murphy, Rock, Chappelle, and Patrice O’Neal. Even a hack like Carlos Mencia got famous off that shtick. True, but there are plenty of counter examples for women too: Joan Rivers, Roseanne Barr, Phyllis Diller, Tracy Ullman, Sarah Silverman, etc. Somebody who is great is generally gonna succeed no matter, but even given that, there was a long time for when the consensus was there could be only one successful mainstream Black comic at a time. The point I was making is that “Black humor” that is not adjusted for a mainstream audience doesn’t sell _as_ well. This is why there are still clear racial bifurcations in stand up wrt to audience and even clubs. Very few successful White comedians play “Black” clubs regularly, and very few White people would see a slate of only Black comedians who were not already considered great (eg. Kings of Comedy). No, being Black (or a woman) doesn’t mean you can’t be a great standup, but there is a reason guys like Russell Peters, Gabriel Iglesias, and Kevin Hart were not well known (until recently) outside of comedy circles despite being HUGE draws in some communities. Look at those Sony leaked emails. There is still a line of demarcation for many in power between White and Black entertainment and entertainers. There is still a cultural line which you cannot cross without something being tarred as “Black” entertainment. Walking that line is something a show like Scandal or comedian like Chris Rock can do, but isn’t done as often by people like Tyler Perry, and as a result, he suffers critically for this choice. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2015, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-documentary-women-arent-funny-is-it-true-or-not/710956/43 "2015-01-27T16:50:55Z")
> [@Sitnam](#): > > I will say, having watched the documentary some time ago, the narrator is certainly not funny. Though, neither is her husband. > > The question asked in the documentary is really, ‘are females good stand up comics?’. There are so few to start with for all kinds of reasons that I don’'t think that movie got anywhere in actually answering it. It was made to start that woman’s career. As anyone who has heard Rich Vos on the radio you know he is a complete idiot. But as a stand up he kills. Bonnie Mcfarlane I am hot and cold on. I think she is funny off the cuff but I don’t like her stand up as much. Their podcast (My Wife Hates Me) I find is hit or miss. > [@thelurkinghorror](#): > > Her tl;dr thesis: male audiences don’t respond as well to the type of humor that many female comics use. And yet my girlfriend is completely uninterested in seeing a female comic. For the most part I get tired of any comic that is a one trick pony. If any comic makes their entire act about how tough it is to be a woman and having periods, kids, men etc. That is hacky. The same if their entire act is about being gay, or black, or asian or handicapped. That has to be your starting point not your act. That is probably why I never liked Rosanne much as a comic. But someone like Ellen is a great stand-up. > [@Dale\_Sams](#): > > I’m going to mention Gilda Radner and Madeline Kahn also. Since this thread is about stand-ups bringing comic actors into it is really not on point. > [@jayjay](#): > > I see you’re familiar with Chelsea Handler… My future mother-in-law taught her in high school. It’s not schtick. ---
**Author:** ![DrFidelius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drfidelius/32/3447_2.png) [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2015, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-documentary-women-arent-funny-is-it-true-or-not/710956/44 "2015-01-27T17:25:31Z")
I watched this film and I was greatly underwhelmed. She didn’t seem to have a focus - is it about how difficult it is for women to become recognized in stand-up? Is it about endemic sexism in the business, the “old boy” network, or her competition with her husband? I must admit, I did not find her material or delivery very funny, and I was disappointed that she did not use more footage of women doing stand-up. (Disclaimer: I am not a huge fan of stand-up. I find very little of anyone’s routine all that impressive. I do love sketch comedy and improv though, and there are many women who kill in those formats.) ---
**Author:** ![Miltonyz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/85f322/32.png) [@Miltonyz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miltonyz)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2015, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-documentary-women-arent-funny-is-it-true-or-not/710956/45 "2015-01-27T17:49:12Z")
I think a lot of it might be that for a lot of girls humour isn’t praised and developed like it is for boys combined with societal restraint. Thinking back to my school days the funniest people were almost always guys. But they had the advantage of being able to make bawdy jokes that the girls would not dare to make. When I was in ninth or tenth grade about 90 percent of our jokes involved dicks and masturbation. A female would not have been free to make those kind of jokes without social repercussions, girls that wanted to be funny seemed to have to resort to a specific kind of goofy humour, getting laughs by being quirky. Another large facet of male humour at the time was insulting someone or throwing tags on someone else’s story. Males that we considered funny were the best at this type of humor, the ability to quickly process a joke or story and retaliate with something funnier is a skill. Some people are naturally better then others but to be truly good it takes practice. At the same time I think a female that threw random insults and tags into guys story’s would be considered a bitch, and annoying. So for most girls they don’t work to develop that skill set. This means that lots of women who have the ability to be funny are never encouraged to develop these skills. Personally I dont care for most modern female comics because of the punchline orientated style that a lot of them adopt. For example the last Amy Schumer special I watched most of her jokes were broken down into three parts. 1. Intro the subject 2. Setup 3. Say something fucked up. There is nothing wrong with this style, Attel is considered a legend and he has that exact same style but I personally prefer comics with long form stories. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2015, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-documentary-women-arent-funny-is-it-true-or-not/710956/46 "2015-01-27T17:56:45Z")
> [@marshmallow](#): > > Didn’t laugh once. I smiled at the Mark Twain racist line, that was clever. The Tea Party rifle range joke was alright too. Other than that, meh. The Mark Twain racist line made me stop watching. Sam was about the least racist man of his period. ---
**Author:** ![JeffB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jeffb/32/188_2.png) [@JeffB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JeffB)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2015, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-documentary-women-arent-funny-is-it-true-or-not/710956/47 "2015-01-27T18:18:56Z")
> [@Wesley\_Clark](#): > > Kind of like how if Larry Bird were black, he’d just be another good basketball player. I’m kind of surprised this idiotic statement has gotten by uncontested. Larry Bird is one of the best players in NBA history, and I’m saying this as some who was not a Bird fan growing up. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2015, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-documentary-women-arent-funny-is-it-true-or-not/710956/48 "2015-01-27T18:28:20Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > The Mark Twain racist line made me stop watching. Sam was about the least racist man of his period. Likewise, it is blatantly obvious that a changing a light-bulb is a simple task, requiring but a single person, unless a ladder needs secured.:mad: ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2015, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-documentary-women-arent-funny-is-it-true-or-not/710956/49 "2015-01-27T18:34:00Z")
I think Ellen is absolutely hilarious. I actually don’t like stand up other than her, so take this endorsement for what it’s worth. ---
**Author:** ![storyteller0910](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecae2f/32.png) [@storyteller0910](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/storyteller0910)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2015, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-documentary-women-arent-funny-is-it-true-or-not/710956/50 "2015-01-27T18:49:14Z")
This is a shameless hijack, but: > [@Wesley\_Clark](#): > > Kind of like how if Larry Bird were black, he’d just be another good basketball player. This is indefensible. If Larry Bird were black, he’d be a _black_ three-time MVP with career rate statistics in the top 20 overall (and top 3 at his position). He’d be a first-ballot Hall of Famer and one of the 20 greatest players of all time. Larry Bird was _awesome_ at basketball. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2015, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-documentary-women-arent-funny-is-it-true-or-not/710956/51 "2015-01-27T18:58:37Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > Likewise, it is blatantly obvious that a changing a light-bulb is a simple task, requiring but a single person, unless a ladder needs secured.:mad: Too many dudes are too god-damned illiterate. Even here we have threads where dudes brag about not reading. I’ll bet more than half of her audience had never actually read Twain. But perhaps some had heard about Twain being banned due to his use of “Nigger”. Thus they assume that yes, Twain was a racist. There are some things you dont joke about as too many morons take you seriously. And the Rep of the greatest American author is important. ---
**Author:** ![brickbacon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/898d66/32.png) [@brickbacon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brickbacon)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2015, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-documentary-women-arent-funny-is-it-true-or-not/710956/52 "2015-01-27T19:05:13Z")
> [@JeffB](#): > > I’m kind of surprised this idiotic statement has gotten by uncontested. Larry Bird is one of the best players in NBA history, and I’m saying this as some who was not a Bird fan growing up. Eh. He is definitely one of the best but he is still a bit overrated. He is commonly listed among the top 5 or so players ever, and he is definitely not in that league. He is still probably top 10 or 20, but I think the point was that most people think he is better than that despite his stats saying otherwise. Quick list of those who are (or on their way to being) better: Jordan, Wilt, Kareem, Kobe, Duncan, Lebron, Magic, Shaq …and you could throw in some debatable people like Durant, Dirk, West, Oscar, Barkley, both Malones, Thomas, and Hakeem. The point is Bird is not on that Mount Everest of all time greatest players. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2015, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-documentary-women-arent-funny-is-it-true-or-not/710956/53 "2015-01-27T19:18:05Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > There are some things you dont joke about as too many morons take you seriously. I disagree. ---
**Author:** ![JeffB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jeffb/32/188_2.png) [@JeffB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JeffB)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2015, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-documentary-women-arent-funny-is-it-true-or-not/710956/54 "2015-01-27T20:54:19Z")
> [@brickbacon](#): > > Eh. He is definitely one of the best but he is still a bit overrated. He is commonly listed among the top 5 or so players ever, and he is definitely not in that league. He is still probably top 10 or 20, but I think the point was that most people think he is better than that despite his stats saying otherwise. > > Quick list of those who are (or on their way to being) better: > > Jordan, Wilt, Kareem, Kobe, Duncan, Lebron, Magic, Shaq > > …and you could throw in some debatable people like Durant, Dirk, West, Oscar, Barkley, both Malones, Thomas, and Hakeem. > > The point is Bird is not on that Mount Everest of all time greatest players. Agree completely that Bird is not top 5, probably not top 10, maybe not top 20. My point, like **storyteller0910** ’s, was that none of that has anything to do with him being white. ---
**Author:** ![brickbacon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/898d66/32.png) [@brickbacon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brickbacon)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2015, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-documentary-women-arent-funny-is-it-true-or-not/710956/55 "2015-01-27T21:21:50Z")
> [@JeffB](#): > > Agree completely that Bird is not top 5, probably not top 10, maybe not top 20. My point, like **storyteller0910** ’s, was that none of that has anything to do with him being white. Well, I think the contention is that he is overrated and more highly regarded than he should be because he is White. It’s a debatable point, but I don’t want to hijack this thread. ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2015, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-documentary-women-arent-funny-is-it-true-or-not/710956/56 "2015-01-27T22:06:03Z")
> [@marshmallow](#): > > Women writers and actors are funny. I’m not as extreme as some, but when it comes to standup I’d definitely side with the “not as funny” camp. It’s a sizable gap too. > > Not sure if beauty matters much. No one’s creaming their jeans over Roseanne and Lampanelli and they’ve had plenty of success. > > The social psychology between the sexes is different when it comes to humor. There’s little pressure for most women to be funny. They don’t need it for male attention, whereas dudes have to be funny if they’re lacking elsewhere. Guys also use humor to break each other’s balls and exert their status. Guys are the class clowns. In relationships men don’t seek out funny women. It’s a low priority, a bonus at best. When you hear a guy talking up his girlfriend you rarely hear him say, “oh, and she makes me laugh!” Women say stuff like that about their man. > > Or maybe women are just [terrible at telling stories.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jT8iNcXpkhs) > > It’s been getting better over the last couple years, but a big problem for female standup is limited subject matter. Male comedians talk about most anything: history, politics, religion, drugs, science, war, movies, video games, random news stories, whatever. Most female comedians tend to focus on family, relationships, and their whacky girlfriends. > > Some of the (so called) funny women have eye rolling gimmicks, like cursing like a sailor or going on and on about how they’re huge sluts and they suck dick all day and how many abortions they’ve had or whatever. I suppose the shock may surprise more sensitive viewers, or they see a gulf between their cute appearance and the filthy language and edgy material and comedy is often about mismatched expecations, but it doesn’t do much for me. Maybe it started as a reaction against the idea of female comedians being soft or safe, but it seems more desperate than anything. > > I can’t remember the last time I saw a woman who strung together so many jokes I ended up having to pause to compose myself. The last Bill Burr special killed me, and had funnier insight into women’s sexual psychology than I’ve seen from most women. > > For women it’s usually a good joke or zinger here and there. Guys link their bits together, make references to earlier material, and craft a better gestalt. They also tend to be better at rapid fire delivery, where it feels like they’re assaulting you. > > One place where women are way behind is audience interaction and handling a room. Men don’t back down and they’re top tier trolls. Try to imagine a female Andy Kaufman. Has a woman ever viciously ripped into a crowd like Burr did to Philly? Or how about Patrice O’Neal regularly deconstructing the couples’ relationships in the audience on the fly. Lampanelli is alright at this, but for most women most of the time it’s basic, 4chan level insults. Oh, you called him a faggot. You sure showed him. > > I’d echo the earlier thought that most funny women in standup are lesbians. Or Jewish. It’s a different mindset. > > There’s a disconnect between the pro/anti camps, where the pros list all these women they find hilarious but the antis just don’t see it. For example: > > Didn’t laugh once. I smiled at the Mark Twain racist line, that was clever. The Tea Party rifle range joke was alright too. Other than that, meh. > > Feels weird to write all that because I often find myself white knighting for a woman’s humor in other media, e.g. I have a soft spot for Sam Bee on the Daily Show, but most people seem to hate her and call her the worst correspondent. > > Now that’s funny! Some of the most successful and celebrated comedians of all time are black guys doing race based commentary. Think Pryor, Murphy, Rock, Chappelle, and Patrice O’Neal. Even a hack like Carlos Mencia got famous off that shtick. What throws me is that women are decent in comedy outside of standup. When it comes to improv, sketch shows, comedy shows, comedy writing, etc. women can be pretty good. JLD held her own on Seinfeld. The women on SNL are good. The women from Mr. Show were good. etc. etc. In fact I’d say the best (by far) humor cartoonist I’ve ever seen is [Allie Brosh](http://www.wired.com/images_blogs/underwire/2013/11/Allie-Brosh.jpg) who writes [Hyperbole and a half](http://hyperboleandahalf.blogspot.com/). Brosh is head and shoulders above any other cartoonist I’ve ever seen for quality (I’d rate Gary Larson a distant second. Bill Watterson is a great cartoonist, but not really a funny one, etc). But when it comes to stand up, women aren’t nearly as good as men at it. At least to me they aren’t. Your statement about Lampanelli and Roseanne are valid, but they are outliers. What I’ve noticed is that most well known female comedians seem to be pretty, but not model hot. The only model hot female comedian I can think of is iliza shlesinger. Maybe there is a desire to only have female comedians who are ‘pretty’ like Sarah Silverman or Amy Schumer, but not so hot it is distracting. I don’t know. But I don’t think it is a coincidence that such a large % of female stand up comics are pretty. Lampanelli’s stuff isn’t very good anyway, I’ve never liked it… ---
**Author:** ![Dale\_Sams](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/779978/32.png) [@Dale\_Sams](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dale_Sams)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2015, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-documentary-women-arent-funny-is-it-true-or-not/710956/57 "2015-01-27T22:22:58Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > As anyone who has heard Rich Vos on the radio you know he is a complete idiot. But as a stand up he kills. Bonnie Mcfarlane I am hot and cold on. I think she is funny off the cuff but I don’t like her stand up as much. Their podcast (My Wife Hates Me) I find is hit or miss. > > And yet my girlfriend is completely uninterested in seeing a female comic. > > For the most part I get tired of any comic that is a one trick pony. If any comic makes their entire act about how tough it is to be a woman and having periods, kids, men etc. That is hacky. The same if their entire act is about being gay, or black, or asian or handicapped. That has to be your starting point not your act. That is probably why I never liked Rosanne much as a comic. But someone like Ellen is a great stand-up. > > Since this thread is about stand-ups bringing comic actors into it is really not on point. > > . 1. That’s not in the title. 2. I take it you haven’t seen Gilda’s one woman show? ---
**Author:** ![Frylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@Frylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frylock)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2015, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-documentary-women-arent-funny-is-it-true-or-not/710956/58 "2015-01-27T22:33:21Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > The Mark Twain racist line made me stop watching. Sam was about the least racist man of his period. Her joke did not rely on a premise that Twain’s stuff is racist, but instead, on a premise that people sometimes say Twain’s stuff is racist–which is in fact true. ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2015, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-documentary-women-arent-funny-is-it-true-or-not/710956/59 "2015-01-27T22:47:40Z")
> [@Dale\_Sams](#): > > 1. That’s not in the title. > > 2. I take it you haven’t seen Gilda’s one woman show? The documentary was about female stand up comics. Outside of stand up comedy I think women can be pretty decent at other forms of comedy, but in stand up they really lag behind men. ---
**Author:** ![Frylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@Frylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frylock)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2015, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-documentary-women-arent-funny-is-it-true-or-not/710956/60 "2015-01-27T22:56:26Z")
> [@Wesley\_Clark](#): > > The documentary was about female stand up comics. Outside of stand up comedy I think women can be pretty decent at other forms of comedy, but in stand up they really lag behind men. It seems like you’re eliding between two claims. Are you wanting to discuss whether women _are funny_, or are you wanting people to talk about whether _they themselves_ are amused by female stand-up comedians? I myself find lots and lots of female stand-ups to be as funny as male stand-ups. I have never noticed a difference in my own amusement level. So is the discussion just: You: I don’t laugh when women tell jokes on stage. Me: I do. ? If that’s what you’re looking for, then why do you keep phrasing it as though you instead want to have this discussion: You: Women aren’t as funny as men. Me: Yes they are. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-documentary-women-arent-funny-is-it-true-or-not/710956.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-documentary-women-arent-funny-is-it-true-or-not/710956.md?page=4)