Speaking to those who are privy to having the last laugh, what emotions coincide with a laugh at the expense of another? Do the circumstances change when you were in a position of being wronged? Is quick wit humor appropriate if used wisely? These are all certainly good questions. Sharp satirical wit paired with faux seriousness can be an intense mind fuck, yeah I went there, that can leave an audience laughing with uncertainty. "Are they serious?" they wonder. "Oh wow, she went for it" says another. Can you be a feminist and an unforgiving comedienne at the same time? I think a wonderful example of this personified is Tina Fey and Amy Poehler's monologue in the 2015 Golden Globe Awards.
Tina Fey said:"George Clooney married Amal Alamuddin this year."Amal is a human rights lawyer who worked on the Enron case, was an adviser to Kofi Annan regarding Syria, and was selected to a three-person U.N. commission investigating rules of war violations in the Gaza Strip."So tonight, her husband is getting a lifetime achievement award."
Insert eye rolls from the female half of the audience. Putting Clooney in his place as "trophy husband", the feminine humorists juxtapose the actors achievement with his undermined counterpart. Of course, there are men out there generous and confident enough to laugh along with us, but even if they don't get it are we allowed to laugh? (Barreca, 9) Barreca discusses interactions such as these in the section Can Men Get It, an excerpt from "They Used to Call Me Snow White But I Drifted." (I'm still re-learning MLA after years of fleshing out specificities in Chicago/Turabian, so bear with me) The fear in insulting a mans ego is unfortunately innate. I argue, however, there is power women can wield in irreverent humor. Can we we pick away at the glacial threat of the patriarchy with our daggers of insult comedy? Humor, a tool used to lighten the mood in for example, a business meeting when used by men is seen as a positive personality characteristic. He is witty, whimsical, or entertaining. If a female were to make a joke at a business meeting she could be seen as interruption, an unnecessary bitchy comment. We have entered the peril of the "Nasty Woman." I believe it is an appropriate time to bring up politics. In a recent Democratic debate, a moderator asks Senator Elizabeth Warren what it would be like to potentially be the oldest president. To which she responded, "I'd also be the youngest woman ever inaugurated." The female wit is feared as unsavory, unprofessional, and just plain annoying. Continuing with Barreca's argument on the male misunderstanding, be weary of making a joke a man won't understand. He could kill you she remarks, or in Warren's situation have enough power to make you look bad. We live for this reality TV-like drama. We hang on the words that make our tummies roil with anxious excitement. There is something so beautifully divine about quick wit comedy. Devouring deliciously evil words of political banter emphasizes the power of the media in influencing the success of women. Too outspoken, she is a power hungry bitch. Not loud enough, we cease to exist. So I question you all, why does society fear witty women? I conclude that we're just too much for our own good.
Barreca, Regina. They Used to Call Me Snow White… But I Drifted. Lebanon: University Press of New England, 2013. PDF.
"Golden Globes 2015- Opening Monologue" Youtube, Uploaded by CinemaNewsGR, 11 Jan 2015, watch, Accessed January 22, 2020
Stevens, Matt, "Warren Notes She'd Be 'Youngest Woman Inaugurated' as Democrats Debate Leadership." The New York Times, december-debate-leadership.html, Accessed January 22, 2020
Hi Kelsey! I loved reading your post. To answer your concluding question, I believe that society fears witty women, because for so long not enough women were being outspoken. They were living behind society's rules that women were to be seen and not heard, but now we have hell's fire at our feet. We have had enough, and as Amy Poehler said, "I don't fucking care if you like it." The newer generations of women have been silent for too long and we're making a stand for ourself. I think this stand is through humor, because society knows that people listen to humor.
ReplyDeleteI like to believe that outspoken women of history are out there, they just aren't as remembered as the men. Too often our history is written by the winners, who I can tell you after studying our history from ancient times to today, it isn't pretty. I was amazed while researching ideas for this blog how many headlines I saw that proclaimed ideas such as "Men find witty women unattractive" or "Witty women are less likely to be promoted than men." It is truly astounding. By the way, I checked and all the articles were written by men. How insecure. Haha.
DeleteI enjoyed the relation of the reading to instances that coincide with the topic. I believe that the in the case with Clooney it is a good example of how humor has been sectioned into gender identity. How you make, recurve or interpret jokes heavily depends on how you identify in our society. I thought you brought up serious issues while also keeping it comedic and light. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteI like how you bring up the phrase "Nasty Woman" because even though it was originally meant to insult someone, women have actually taken that phrase and used it to empower themselves. That phrase has become a huge part of the newest wave of feminism.
ReplyDeleteYour piece was very insightful and enjoyable to read, and I outwardly laughed at the section about George Clooney being a "trophy husband." It's unfortunate the double-standards people have when it comes to men, women, and humor, and that it always seems to be positive for men, but almost always damning for the women. I hope in the future things can change, but one can only hope for so long before being disappointed be society and its priorities.
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