posted
I understand why it was *supposed* to be funny. Nevertheless, humor is highly subjective. It was not funny to me.
Posts: 2392 | Registered: Sep 2005
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quote:Originally posted by Christine: Wow. That was incredibly sexist. And not funny.
The chewable valium was hilarious, though.
quote:Originally posted by Christine: I understand why it was *supposed* to be funny. Nevertheless, humor is highly subjective. It was not funny to me.
Agreed, on all points.
Posts: 32919 | Registered: Mar 2003
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posted
Yeah, I didn't think it was particularly funny, either. But, then, I don't think most of what SNL puts out these days is funny at all.
Posts: 4077 | Registered: Jun 2003
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I don't get how you can understand why it was supposed to be funny, but still think it was sexist. The whole reason it's funny is because it makes fun OF sexists.
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posted
Which is emphasized by the fact that I found it on Susan Polgar's blog. She is former Women's World Chess Champion and devotes most of her time now to supporting girls in chess.
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quote:Originally posted by erosomniac: I don't get how you can understand why it was supposed to be funny, but still think it was sexist. The whole reason it's funny is because it makes fun OF sexists.
Agreed.
And that actually looked more fun than real chess. >_>
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posted
I think it's kind of interesting that most of the people here (if not all) who thought it was hilarious happen to be guys. Maybe the guys in question ought to consider why that might be. And please don't use the fact that one or two women thought it was funny to dismiss it.
Posts: 12266 | Registered: Jul 2005
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posted
I thought it was funny because I've never thought of chess as a boy's game. And making a version tailor made for girls is so ridiculous. I would like to say that if they turned it around and made a boy's version were the pieces smashed each other and stuff I would find it equally entertaining.
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If they made a commercial were kids were playing it and saying things like "awesome!" and "I'm gonna smash your puny forces." and having the pieces use exaggerated expressions and yells.
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posted
I thought it was funny because whenever I go to chess tournaments girls are like unicorns. It was funny on several levels. You may call it sexist, but it has an element in truth only in the rarity of girls playing chess seriously. Girls can play just as well as boys, but not many play it.
That is quite sad for me, because how am I supposed to find a beautiful 18 year old supermodel who likes me and also plays chess, not to mention likes all the same shows and movies that I do.
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quote:Originally posted by Lisa: I think it's kind of interesting that most of the people here (if not all) who thought it was hilarious happen to be guys. Maybe the guys in question ought to consider why that might be. And please don't use the fact that one or two women thought it was funny to dismiss it.
In this case I would say its for the same reason many conservatives don't find the Daily Show funny. On one hand I see where you're coming from, but on the other I really can't come to view that joke as anything but harmless. There are plenty of real ads out there that play off of stereotypes of both men and women and I don't find them particularly offensive either.
Posts: 1327 | Registered: Aug 2007
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quote:I think it's kind of interesting that most of the people here (if not all) who thought it was hilarious happen to be guys. Maybe the guys in question ought to consider why that might be.
I think it's kind of interesting that more women (Shigosei, Rappin' Ronnie Reagan, porcelain girl) did not find it sexist or objectionable than women who stated they found it sexist or objectionable (rivka, Christine,Lisa).
quote:And please don't use the fact that one or two women thought it was funny to dismiss it.
Can I use the fact that a woman who both plays chess (better than almost everyone in the world) and dedicates significant time to making chess more popular with girls thinks it's hilarious?
Posts: 26071 | Registered: Oct 2003
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posted
I hope no one gets angry over this, but I remember when I was younger getting annoyed at TV because in every single instance of sibling rivalry between a brother and sister in any commercial or show, the girl would come out on top. And the same thing for husband and wife.
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posted
You forgot to add my name to the rivka/Christine/Lisa list as well, although I didn't make that entirely clear in my post, I admit.
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posted
Since us dudes have been sharing why we thought it was funny, would you women folk mind sharing why you found it offensive?
Posts: 3275 | Registered: May 2007
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posted
It's demeaning. A lot of the behavior that the girls in that clip are showing is behavior that a lot of little girls really show. But not because girls are twits, like the girls in that clip. Because girls are trained to be that way. Girls aren't encouraged to play chess; boys are. That, Jon, is why girls are like unicorns at chess competitions. When my partner was a kid, the bell in their telephone wasn't working. She wanted to take it apart and figure out why, and fix it. Her father said, "Let your brother do that." Never mind that her brother hadn't even suggested wanting to do it. That kind of sexism is very irksome to those of us who think that girls and women are sentient human beings. And that commercial was like rubbing salt in a wound. It's frakkin' embarrassing, is what it is.
Posts: 12266 | Registered: Jul 2005
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posted
It kinda bothered me too, though I definitely get the joke. Maybe this is just a little too close to reality to be funny. You know? It's almost not a parody, when you look at the way toys are marketed to girls.
Sometimes I'm glad I'm not human. Posts: 6246 | Registered: Aug 2004
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posted
The way I am interpreting your posts is that the reason we found it funny is because we viewed it as parodying reality. You found it as actually resembling reality. Doesn't that make us LESS sexist because we assume naturally that women can do as much as men, therefore find it funny.
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posted
Well, it is sort of irritating that the idea of chess being for boys is perpetuated. I still thought it was funny, though. I saw it as making fun of the really strong gender stereotypes seen in TV commercials. I think the suggested "chess for boys" commercial would be funny, too. That's another problem, I suppose -- chess was portrayed as something that boys do naturally (and really, at that age, a lot of boys probably wouldn't find it interesting), while girls need a modified version.
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quote:A lot of the behavior that the girls in that clip are showing is behavior that a lot of little girls really show. But not because girls are twits, like the girls in that clip. Because girls are trained to be that way.
I dunno. I've got four daughters and they cover the whole range from love-pink-and-frilly-stuff to "I don't care if we're going to church, I'm not wearing a skirt!"
It's unfortunate when someone, like your partner's dad, tries to force a role on someone, but left to their own devices girls seem to end up all over the map. Some of them do end up like those girls in the commercial without any coercion.
Sometimes I feel like girls are more free in this regard than boys. A tomboy is still more socially acceptable than a fairy.
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quote:Originally posted by Lisa: It's demeaning. A lot of the behavior that the girls in that clip are showing is behavior that a lot of little girls really show. But not because girls are twits, like the girls in that clip. Because girls are trained to be that way. Girls aren't encouraged to play chess; boys are.
Exactly. And by mocking the way the toy industry helps shape little girls to be this way by spoofing the typically ridiculous commercials they (the industry) produce, this sketch is contributing to sexism?
I'd like to think I'm a pretty broad thinker when it comes to sexism, negative portrayal of women in the media and the underlying discriminatory trends that dominate our thinking, but there's an intellectual leap here that I'm missing. I'm interested in hearing you explain further, and in hearing from rivka, Christine, CT, Megan, et al.
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quote:Originally posted by Shigosei: Well, it is sort of irritating that the idea of chess being for boys is perpetuated.
But...it isn't. The sketch actively mocks the idea of something as gender-neutral as chess needing a "girly" version.
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posted
I don't think that it was on purpose. I'm just a little bit bothered that the boy was shown being able to play, and the girl didn't seem to be able to grasp it. I'm sure the people making the sketch don't believe that, but it can be a little problematic to show those things, because our brains can start to accept those things as true if we see them enough. The actual chess for girls stuff was sufficiently over-the-top that it didn't bother me, though.
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posted
I wonder what an equally offensive play off of male stereotypes would be. I'm having a hard time imagining something in the same vein that I would find offensive. The closest I could think of is the "Mercury Mistress" sketch, but I thought that was funny too.
quote:Originally posted by erosomniac: Exactly. And by mocking the way the toy industry helps shape little girls to be this way by spoofing the typically ridiculous commercials they (the industry) produce, this sketch is contributing to sexism?
I didn't say that it "contributed" to sexism. I said "Grr..."
I found it obnoxious, because I don't think this is really something to laugh about. Sorry, I know that comes across as humorless, like the old Wellesley joke*, but it really is a sore spot. I see this stuff all the time, and it kills me that people don't even notice what they're doing. From the stupid damned pink aisles at Toys "R" Us to the obscene stuff that went on at my daughter's summer camp this year, it just irks me. A lot.
I see girls being told not to let boys see that they're smart, because it's threatening. And sure, it's not all girls, and it's not all parents, but you're kidding yourself if you think it's not a major part of American culture.
I remember once when Tova was about a year and a half old, maybe two. We were at this pizza place, and there was a group of Scouts there. Tova took forever to get hair, so she looked like she had a crewcut. Of course, she was wearing a dress, too, which generally made it clear that she was a girl. But the Scout leader, while waiting for their pizza to come up, was walking around the room. And when he saw Tova, he thought she was a little boy. And he was all, "Hey there, fellow. How's it going?" When we told him she was a girl, he shifted gears almost unconsciously, and started saying, "Oh, aren't you the cutest thing." Now notice, when he thought she was a boy, he asked her questions, trying to elicit answers. When he thought she was a girl, he just said stuff about her appearance.
People who aren't the subjects of prejudice often think that people who are are just taking things too seriously when they get annoyed.
----- * The joke is this:
Q: How many Wellesley girls does it take to change a lightbulb?
A: It's Wellesley women, and it's not funny!
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