Are men naturally better at being comedians than women?
lostonearth35
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Age: 52
Gender: Female
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Why are most of the really funny professional comedians male? Of course have been some really good female ones, but the general belief among most people it seems is that women aren't funny at all and when they try to be they fail miserably at it.
I say this because I was just watching a video of some people doing improvised stand-up comedy and the one person that none of the other YouTubers thought was any good was a women and one person said that "all female comedians are not even a bit funny". Are women just too serious? Is it some genetic thing? I mean, a woman's life can't help but be a bit of a proverbial roller coaster with periods and hormones and, of course, putting up with men!
But even when we were kids it seemed my brother was always better at just making up crazy funny stuff right on the spot, and when I tried doing it I stunk, as if some mental block was suddenly jammed into my brain and I couldn't think. You know, sometimes I feel if you're born female what's the point? It's like our whole lives are going to be full of pain and difficulty. Guys have it good, they always will and they know it. Now I'm unfunnier than ever... and I'm an "amateur" cartoonist! ![]()
I think it's society's stereotypes. I think that men are not comfortable with female humor for the most part. As for women not being as good, look at Lucille Ball, who was once the richest woman in Hollywood; she was a comedic genius!
As for your not being able to be humorous, I think this is something you learned subconsciously from the people around you. It's easy for a child to become self-conscious and for that trait to stay right through adulthood. That self-consciousness becomes a negative self-image and a belief that you can't do a certain thing. So, yes, IMO you have a mental block. It's a vicious circle because good comedy requires the comedian to be comfortable with what they're doing.
Come to think of it, that might be why women comics are not generally seen as good comics by men, because the men are sending off negative vibes that the women can't help but feel. That would make it generally more a cultural thing than a lack of talent on the women's part.
There was this study, where the participates were split into two different groups.
Everyone in group A., was given a humours passage to read, and were told that a man had written it.
Everyone in group B., was given the same humours passage to read, and were told that a women had written it.
The results showed, that many more people in group A., found the passage funny.
While it could of been a coincidence, I believe the fact that group A., thought, a man had written it, had something to do with it.
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It more comes down to the person....Personally I find most female comedians just annoying. Silly whiny idiots. Really, I don't care if they bleed every month or their kids whinge or that they have pms. seriously who gives a toss?
I have had many people say I should do stand up and I do consider it. I am told the reason why I am funny is that I am like a guy in a girls body and act as such.
The reason why I am not out there doing it right now? I can't be stuffed. ![]()
1. Women are perfectly capable of being funny.
2. Being a woman does not mean that your life will be full of pain and difficulty.
3. If putting up with men is causing that much pain you need to find some better men. Most of them aren't complete arses in my experience.
4. Unless you have particularly bad periods, the hormones aren't wreaking havoc anywhere near all the time.
5. Guys do not universally-and-all-the-time "have it good", they have difficulties too and it's insulting to dismiss an entire roughly-half-of-the-world's difficulties just because of your own difficulties.
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Webalina
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Joined: 27 Jul 2012
Age: 66
Gender: Female
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Location: Piney Woods of East Texas
I think women can be just as funny as men. I have a friend who is hilarious, and I've been told time and time again how funny I am. And I am capable of making both men and women laugh. Not braggin', just sayin'...
The issue I have with women comics is that....sigh....it's tough to put into easy words. Lots of male comics just talk about "stuff" -- things they did that day, or things they've observed, etc. Some are loud, some are mellow, some are crude, etc. But you can tell -- at least with the good ones -- that their style is a natural part of their personality. They connect with the audience because they are being "real". You can put all the greats -- Lenny Bruce, Richard Pryor, George Carlin -- in that category. My favorites right now are Louis CK and Christopher Titus.
Women comics on the other hand, don't really seem to know themselves. Either they try to be daring and show they can compete with male comics on their level, and so be either really crude, obnoxious and/or loud -- Roseanne, Sarah Silverman and Lisa Lampanelli come to mind -- or they whine and complain about how horrible being a woman is, and they all seem to be manhaters. But either way, they just don't seem to connect with more than a few people at a time. The really good female comics over the years -- Phyllis Diller, Elaine Boozler, Rita Rudner, and now Iliza Schlesinger -- get up there and just do their thing in a way that is natural for them, and people respond.
