Over the past few days, reading the flurry of commentary, chatter, and full-on ranting over Seth MacFarlane’s performance at the Oscars, and The Onion tweet heard round the world, I have come to several possible conclusions regarding why you probably don’t like a sexist or racist or gay-bashing joke. These are all verbatims or paraphrases from actual statements seen around the internets. So…thank you for schooling me internets! I feel so much wiser now. And funnier!
At least 47% funnier. And that’s significant.
1. You have no sense of humor
2. You didn’t get the joke.
3. You are a stuck-up jackass.
4. You don’t have boobs that anyone would like to see or if you do then for some reason you are ashamed of them.
5. You look like a washed-up dishrag which explains your envy.
6. You should have expected it because that’s what that comedian does! Duh.
7. You are a stupidly reactionary Feminazi. (Definition: feminists who murder millions of people?)
8. You need to lighten up because you don’t get those women who showed their boobs are actresses and not actual rape victims.
9. You are not qualified to evaluate jokes unless you’ve done stand-up yourself.
10. You are a PC asshole and ruining everything good about America including the right to make sexist and racist jokes.
11. You are misunderstanding what racism means. See, non-racist people make racist jokes as political commentary above the heads of 99% of the watching public but you know, it’s not for them. It’s for the 1%. And if you don’t get it, that’s not our problem.
12. You don’t understand that if it’s absurd that’s what makes it funny and clearly anything misogynist is absurd. Well, to everyone but actual misogynists, but let’s not talk about that part right now.
13. You have too much time on your hands; there are starving children in India.
14. You must be a mother, because it’s always the breeders that are up in arms about shit that couldn’t phase anyone else on our worst day.
15. You don’t recognize that in comedy everything is fair game, without boundaries. Just ask Richard Pryor and Lenny Bruce, who always called nine-year-old girls cu…or wait. Bad example.
16. Other women/Blacks/Latinas/gays aren’t offended so there must be something wrong with you.
17. You are stupid and very very busy looking for things to be offended by.
18. You want to take away the power of the real misogynists and racists of the world by focusing on stupid things like commentary made in front of a 40.3 mm viewing audience.
19. You have completely missed the point on what is FUN and ENTERTAINING.
20. You need to understand that the target of the jokes were asking for it.
21. Haters gonna hate.
In conclusion, if you don’t like a sexist or racist joke, go save starving children in India. Hope that clears things up.
Oh, #12. Yes. Exactly.
I thought it was because the jokes weren’t funny,but I am past my prime.
WRONG.
Well I mean yes, being past your prime is surely another reason for thinking something isn’t funny. Also, what would you know from funny Marinka?
I’m just not smart enough to get his jokes.
Wait, you figured out how to turn on the TV in time to actually see it?
Then there are the fat jokes, which are HILARIOUS if you’re not so sensitive about your own big butt or eating disorder that you can’t appreciate the humor.
Also, if you are that sensitive, you shouldn’t be watching.
If I were still breastfeeding (which is a misuse of parts of my body meant only for the sexual pleasure of others) this would have spoiled my milk.
The Internet is very wise. Do not question the Internet.
The Interwebs. Often they bring out the very worst in humanity. But, to be fair, sometimes they also often bring out the very best. The upside, it makes it easy to identify the haters and the morons and move on. People.
Plus I saw Family Guy a few times, so I knew what I was in for…a talking dog and a mean, old man little baby.
I totally asked for it.
The problem is that when I read these comments (which I did) my gut reaction is always “People are STUPID” which is entirely too sweeping and fatalistic. Thank God I know so many smart women like you.
The best part of my day yesterday, was having unfunny comedians tell me what I should find funny.
God Bless the Internets.
Also, The Constitution. Because America’s freedom depends on patriots being free to Tweet jokes using that one word without anyone raising an eyebrow. Soldiers die in the Middle East so that we can call 9-year-olds what we want, Favstar and stripes forever, huzzah!
Oh yes, freedom of speech. A favorite. Thanks Deb.
Because having to explain or defend a joke always makes it funnier.
I have to admit, I laughed. But that just means there’s something wrong with me. I already knew that.
You’re allowed to laugh. I laughed at some things. But if you don’t laugh, that doesn’t make you a washed up dishrag either.
(Also, anyone with a real sense of humor would know that washed up dishrag is not as funny as about 873 million other things.)
I was about to lookup the “jokes” because of some stir that I picked up from THE Internets, but now, I won’t bother. I’m not going to get it anyhow, being so non-misogynistic and so limited and too much mother.
I would add “You obviously haven’t been to a comedy club lately” because honestly? Seth and the Onion were TAME compared to what goes on in some of them.
And #22: You weren’t the target audience. The target was 17 to 22 year-old men, who are obviously the people most likely to watch the Oscars.
I did hear “you aren’t the target audience for Family Guy” which…well, I watch a lot. Also, I didn’t think that I was watching Family Guy. I thought I was watching a movie awards ceremony. I’M SO CONFUSED.
I have nothing to add except these folks are on the wrong side of history.
Great post Julie!
There is also, “If you don’t like it; turn the channel.” As if me not watching it would somehow solve the problem of widely broadcast sexism.
Yes. Clearly your fault for watching the wrong channel.
#4 Probably very true, but why does that mean my opinion is any less valuable?
#6 Very true. Anyone who has ever watched Family Guy should have seen this coming. I’m sure the folks who run the Oscars expected it. It’s like being shocked that people were pissed off at Ricky after the Golden Globes. With the freedom of speech comes the lovely pleasure of standing forward and taking the backlash. He had the right to say what he did. Others have the right to dislike what he said.
I guess I shouldn’t mention I watch Family Guy from time to time.
I really like family guy. And the Onion. And Louis CK. And Richard Pryor.
Also, I like boob jokes. There’s one on my Twitter bio.
I’m glad the Internet cleared that up. I thought the jokes weren’t funny because they weren’t funny. At least now I know that it’s just me.
Oh, and I really like Family Guy. That was no Family Guy
Like ****
I missed all the off-color jokes (except the one about Lincoln) because the whole broadcast was so boring and nonsensical I had to keep changing the channel.
Simply~It’s not smart or clever to be unkind and pander to the least common denominator. Billy Crystal was always so creative when he opened the Oscars and I really missed him on Sunday evening. I heard Seth MacFarlane say that he spent five months preparing and not sleeping. So…it took him five months to come up with “We Saw Your Boobs.” Hmmm…
I wrote a blog about the same issue yesterday and suggested to my loyal readers to watch “Makers” on PBS tonight at 8 p.m. A documentary about the courageous women that have paved the way for all of us.
Great blog, Liz!
Oh, and I had no idea who Seth MacFarlane was or why they would have asked him to host it. I still don’t.
Also, what a lame use of Twitter, if I was Evan Williams I would sue Seth MacFarlane’s boring little heiney for defamation.
You forgot the *subtle* antisemitic jokes . Because Hil-ar-ious, especially when delivered by a foul-mouthed, drunk, over-sexed teddy bear. Hysterical.
I feel enlightened. Phew.
I poked my head out of my man cave long enough to watch the “We Saw Your Boobs” bit and at first, I’ll freely admit, it made me smile a little. It’s edgy (or whatever) to proclaim boldly and blatantly (in *song* no less!) that “we’ve seen your boobs!” in the presence of those selfsame boobs. And, though the feminazi in me hates to admit it, I thought it was a little clever ina couple places.
Criticizing it from a purely comedic standpoint, I’d have to say, though, it’s a “one trick pony” kind of joke. All premise and set up and only one pay out. And his tags were a little on the weak side. But whatever. A run down of why something is or isn’t funny is horrifying in it’s own right.
To me, the gruesome part of the “We Saw Your Boobs” bit is that it’s a tragically sad commentary on the state of affairs in media and in our larger culture in general. Do we think for one moment that some of those actresses mentioned in the song really had *any* say over whether movie going audiences saw “the goods” on film? No, it strikes me that they likely had *very* little power to negotiate or say what parts of their anatomy were shown. Meaning, these are (or were) *young* and likely inexperienced women, who’ve pinned their dreams and efforts into becoming working actors. And they *routinely* have to show their boobs in order to get a part.
It just feels like the same old 17 hojillion kinds of “We’re men and we get to do whatever the hell we want, at least until the revolution comes and someone puts us up against a wall” and good lord, aren’t we done with that crap yet, for heaven’s sake on a popsicle stick? Overlooking the reality that only a small minority of people would willing choose to see the salient bits of the male anatomy, when does the “We Saw Your Johnson!” song come out?
(Don’t get me wrong, I’m a straight male who’s a big fan of boobs (big or otherwise), but I’m trying to make a point here.)
On some level, I hope and wish that song were come kind of sly satire, pointing out just how shamelessly we objectify women in our culture, but I’m pretty sure they were just going for the easy laugh.
And that’s just sad on a whole ‘nother level.
TL;DR: Oh look, the same old misogyny. How quaint. And penises are gross.
exactly! that type of jokes are non-sense, so it should banned anywhere.