With Continual Reference to Justin Kahn.

Monday, December 18, 2006

Men, Women, and a Sense of Humor.

By Guest Blogger Angela

Scenario One:
You’re out and about and you see Joe, a guy from your office with a really hot girl. How did a schlub like that bag a hottie like her,you wonder. So you ask…

You: What are you doing with that loser?
Her: Do I know you?
You: That’s not the point. What are you doing with that loser?
Her: I don’t know. He makes me laugh. Now go away…

Scenario Two:
You’re trying to fix up your best friend. She’s smart, she’s funny, and everyone thinks she’s adorable. So why is she single…
You: So my friend is in town for the weekend and I’m trying to fix her up.
Him: What does she look like?
You: She’s really cute. And she’s really smart and super funny.
Him: Funny? Um, no thanks…

Men and women view and value humor differently. While both sexes agree that being funny is inextricably linked to being smart, only women seem to consider being funny, and therefore smart, a requirement. This is because women want a smart mate. Men on the other hand, are looking for a mate who will laugh at their jokes…not one who could potentially make jokes at their expense.


In an article for the January 2007 issue of Vanity Fair, Christopher Hitchens suggested that women simply aren’t as funny as men. Their senses of humor aren’t as well-developed, and they don’t laugh at the same things as men. Uh-huh. And why is that a bad thing? I would argue that women are in fact funnier than men, if only because women are smarter than men. The difference is that men will laugh at anything--case in point, The Three Stooges. Seriously. Why should someone being poked in the eye elicit a chuckle? It shouldn’t. Yet men, even the most grown up of men, will laugh uproariously. Women, in contrast, look for a little more in a joke. This is because no sane woman is going to waste time, energy, and potentially ovum, on a Moe, a Larry, or even a Curly.

34 comments:

Justin said...

One thing is for sure, women are better at making paragraphs. I hope Angela doesn't hate me for not exactly formatting it right. I tried. And I will try more. But the X-files is on. And even though it is a DVD, I hate to press pause when I am in the middle of a season (season four)j.

Justin said...

Hey, I just looked up ovum. I thought you were going to leave out any naughty bits.
j.

Justin said...

Anyway, my Mom says that it is probably just the time of year that people haven't been commenting. People get busy with the Holidays. So maybe with all the shopping and cooking people are forgetting to take the time out and read my blog. j.

Justin said...

Well,I'm running to Trader Joe's if anyone needs anything.

Anyone?

Justin said...

I don't know if I really prefer Trader Joe No Meat corndogs to the Morningstar brand. But they are cheaper. nj

Charlene Amsden said...

Poor Justin. Maybe we quit commenting because we fell in love and wandered away.

Angela's post is cute, but wrong. I've found a man that likes smart women -- or at least this smart woman. And if there is one, there must be more right?

[mental note to self -- ask man how he feels about Stooges]

Me said...

Interesting thoughts.

bitingblondewit said...

I too found a man who has said he likes me because I'm smart and funny. But then Justin emailed me the Vanity Fair article and suggested that the man may be lying...

I do think that most men prefer think that they are smarter than the woman they're with. Poor things!

Justin said...

Biting Blonde,
I didn't mean he was lying. I just thought you might have misunderstood!

Anyway, enormous good has come out of it. j.

Justin said...

Quilly!

You should bring your beau by sometime. j.

Nessa said...

I know my husband thinks the Stooges are hysterical and I think they are silly.

Men really hate being laughed at. That's why we have wars.

Justin said...

Goldennib, Once again you set forth a bold historical thesis.

But do you really think all wars are because of you and your husband's disagreement about the stooges?

j.

Anonymous said...

The stooges make me want to kill somebody.

bitingblondewit said...

Justin! The subject line of your email was "Is the Beau Honest?" Grrr to you! I could not have misunderstood that.

The Stooges. They're among the top reasons Why Men Should Not be Allowed to Choose Their Own TV Programs. Maybe someone could do a post on that? Kind of a top ten?

Ishmael said...

Funny you should mention it.

It may be almost as true generally, as it is specifically erroneous.

But If women are not as funny... then, tell me-how funny are they?

and if they aren't as funny.... then the joke is on the men.

I don't find most men to be all that funny, either.

Perhaps the puerile ("Mommy, Mommy, look at me! ) attention seeking that inspire men, is more suited to the extroverted nature of humorous expression....

shit! I forgot the punchline

Ishmael said...

Ps,

The three stooges are just that.

Anonymous said...

BBW, You just gave CK an idea... he likes to take the other side lately you know. I'll look forward to reading that post.

Comrade Kevin said...

I really don't know anything about this topic but it sounds very interesting.

Jenn said...

Punchline: Justin is about one of the most datable men in the blogverse????

I'm just asking.

Justin said...

Jenn, Your gender needs you. Now isn't the time to lend creditability to Hitchen's claim that women aren't funny.
j.

Jenn said...

Touche.

Jenn said...

And isn't it credibility?

Again, just asking.

Anonymous said...

hahahaha
that is funny.
what jenn last said.

Justin said...

Mr. Rogers,
Do you work Wed. morning?
j.

Anonymous said...

nope. i am in pittsburgh until the middle of january. way to NOT come in any of the past 3 million wednesdays i did work! haha
you snooze you lose, buckooooo.

Justin said...

hipsters &c.
Congrats to D, who said you probably were working.

Anyway, there are just so many great episoes of X-files.



j.

Bloggari itse said...

I beg to differ on this subject. I throw a seed of thought. Suppose the greatest difference between women and men and their humour is that womens is more context-bind and men like humour for its contents? I have noticed this difference. And the second big difference is that men are more over the top with their humour and women are milder. So women don't want to hurt anyone with their humour and its gettting the laughs in social circumstances so that the group would get along better. While men are thinking humour in way that there should be some punchline or good narrative way it's told andd the humour is funny until someone gets hurt. After that it's hilarious. This is of course too simplified but something like this I notice at least here in Finland where I live. But it explains to me why I have never encountered with woman who would be great telling jokes. Or is it only me and my misogynic thoughts? Hopefully so, so that women would tell good jokes and this would be only my problem.

Anonymous said...

i'm gonna go with "misogynistic thoughts", finny boy!

Anonymous said...

As someone who is shy and prone to embarrassments, I prefer women who are funny. That way, the time I would have spent embarrassing myself is spent laughing. Of course, if I had stuff in my teeth that would be embarrassing. Shit. Better carry some floss with me.

Anonymous said...

hey man nice page i got a nice insight into the kinda humour that the sexes has and u are right in what u say

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