"Women's humour" vs "Men's humour" - really?!

[PacificDogwood]

Cathy Lette (I know, I know!) was on Radio Scotland today. I only listened to a snippet of what she said in the car (I presume she has something to flog?) and she said that women's humour is rarely nasty or twisted/dark, but more likely to be confessional whereas men's humour was more likely 'sick'.
I think the reality is that there is an element of that, but surely that starts with how children are raised: fart joke from boy = funny, fart joke from girl = uncouth.

I despair sometimes.

She also stipulated that men are 'terrified' of women's humour as they feel they are likely targets of it. Now I don't know about you, but I don't talk about my DH all that much, humorously or otherwise.

Maybe I am just a humourless caw….

[Curwen]

She hasn't listened to Sarah Silverman, who is pretty dark and twisted. Likewise Sarah Millican re bodily functions and general filth. Jo Brand, Jenny Eclair, Rosanne Barr, Joan Rivers, Pauline Calf ( ) - I'd say they are all banned from opening church fetes.

[IdealistAndProudOfIt]

Was this a throwaway comment or something she was discussing seriously? Or more accurately did she use the men /women contrast in terms of observed differences now, or an actual biological difference? We tend to confuse those two in everyday conversation.

I would agree male humour tends to be geared towards toilet and, of course, sexual comments - but also that that is culturally determined and not likely to be biologically ingrained.

Of course all humour is cultural anyhow. I think there's a whole field about that in anthropology and ethnology.

[PacificDogwood]

I am not sure how serious or not she was: she was quite funny and was talking about her previous books ('mummy lit' yuck and, I kid you not, 'nip lit' double yuck i.e. books about plastic surgery. I've not read any of her oeuvre so cannot comment).
I don't think she meant biological differences.

And yes, humour is v cultural. Being a forriner I know that all too well

I have to look up some of the comediennes you mention, Curwen, thanks.

[LRDtheFeministDragon]

women's humour is rarely nasty or twisted/dark

Bless her, she's never been on MN, has she?! I think black humour (if that's the same thing) is one of the things we do best.

I do think that there are things women are less likely to laugh about because it's not so fucking funny if you're the punchline (and yes, I know Frankie Boyle would be incapable of not calling attention to that as a witty pun).

[UptoapointLordCopper]

I have noticed that in my circle people don't notice the girls making fart jokes but notice the boys and then say "boys like fart jokes but girls don't". It drives me potty.

[SarahMayF]

"Nip lit" sounds like "nipple literature" to me!

I think there are generalised trends in the kind of jokes told along gender lines, but as most have said this is a cultural thing. There's still a huge stigma that says women aren't funny, women can't be comedians, but it seems that the actual criticisms of female comedians are to do with their physical appearance. A big part of stand-up especially is being able to be self-deprecating and sometimes I think it's harder for a woman to do that in public because other women and men will often join in on it.

I also find that women tend to be more dry and sarcastic than men - it's a different kind of funny, but funny nonetheless.

[SarahMayF]

Also when guys talk about gross stuff everyone goes "Eeeew haha", but when a girl talks about periods it's all "That's where babies come from!"

Of course these are all loose correlations. I know lots of funny men and women =)

[PacificDogwood]

[Curwen]

Pacific - the is a superb German comedian called Henning Wehn. Don't know if you have heard of him, but he's very well known in the UK. He does his act in English for the benefit of us mono-linguists.

It's a bit off-track, what with him being the enemy a man, but I thought I'd try to cheer you up about being German

[PacificDogwood]

I'll look him up, thanks.

I am not a very good specimen-German, I fear, as evidenced in my finding Monty Python's funny some decade ago. Their Flying Circus was broadcast in English with subtitles in Germany and the whole country was like 'WTactualF?!' while my dad and I laughed to the point of tears and hiccups

And I find 'neck beard' funny too