Are a lot of comedies really degrading to women?

[harmonica44]

SPOILERS FROM SOME COMEDIES:

Some movie critics, and general moviegoers have complained how a lot of comedies, especially raunchy, crude ones, are degrading of women. However I can't think of one, and would have to say the opposite. Most are degrading of men more so. One person wrote an article saying how Horrible Bosses was misogynist. I don't remember any women being portrayed misogynistic, but I do recall a guy being sexually assaulted by his boss, played for laughs.

Seems kinda degrading of men though, because you never see a comedy of a male boss sexually assaulting his female employees for laughs. In Get Him to the Greek, a man is raped by a woman, up his anus with a dildo, but you never see it with the genders the other way around, played for laughs. In The Hangover, a man is tasered in the crotch, and another is tied up naked, and thrown into a trunk, but you never see it happen to women for laughs, so far.

In Tomcats, a young man is kidnapped and sexually assaulted by an old woman of senior age, in an S & M style assault, but you never see that with the genders switched played for laughs. You could debate whether or not portraying an old lady in such a way is an insult or a compliment to women in movies, but either way, the guy gets it worse, cause of the hypocrisy. In American Pie, high school males being seduced by MILFS is funny, but when you switch it around, people cry pedophilia. You get the idea.

So maybe there are mainstream comedies, that are degrading more towards women, but wherever they are, I am yet to find them, so where are these critics and moviegoers getting off saying so?

 

[Murdock]

I actually kinda agree with you. I have my own theory that's based on racial profiling, so we should probably leave that one alone.

I even have a personal challenge to go with it, if anyone is interested.

 

[steve gelder]

Comedy is based on a few basic principles, one of which is that it is funny to see someone, normally in a position of power, get their "come-uppance" or "just rewards".

Seeing a woman get anally raped is not funny, because men can and do take advantage of women in such ways. It's horrible, it's sad, it's scary, it's violent.

However, a bad man, being anally raped, can be seen as "funny", because someone who would normally in the dominant position is on the receiving end of a type of ironic justice. From a societal view, it's okay to find humor in the violent act, if it happens to someone who deserves it, or who would normally be in the superior position.

It's the same way comedy is normally anti-establishment, especially in a racial sense. It's funny to see someone who is the underdog (because of their race, gender or social class) take down the boss, whether it be the kid in Caddyshack or the female employees in 9 to 5 or the workers in CarWash.

That's why stand-up comedy doesn't work well if you're a white Republican, complaining about people of other races. It's just racist, because whites are the people in power, have all the social and financial advantages, etc. It isn't funny, because the person in power making fun of others is a dynamic we see in regular life, and isn't amusing It's a reminder of where we are, in our own situations.

But, seeing that same white Republican get knocked down a peg or two by a minority worker who has been berated for the length of the movie, or a female employee who has been discounted, or a poor white guy who the rich guy has put down earlier - that has the right dynamic for humor.

Also, the movies that people are saying are degrading to women are usually so because women are relegated to side characters, that are cardboard cutouts of real people, making the women either shrewish, or so sexy they embarrass themselves as whores, or whatever. You don't have to be raped to be degraded, especially when you're the gender that is on the receiving end of a lot of indignity to begin with in normal life.

gelder

 

[rockerrockstar]

However, a bad man, being anally raped, can be seen as "funny", because someone who would normally in the dominant position is on the receiving end of a type of ironic justice. From a societal view, it's okay to find humor in the violent act, if it happens to someone who deserves it, or who would normally be in the superior position.

That reminds me of that scene in Pulp Fiction

 

[Dreadylocks]

Also, the movies that people are saying are degrading to women are usually so because women are relegated to side characters, that are cardboard cutouts of real people, making the women either shrewish, or so sexy they embarrass themselves as whores, or whatever. You don't have to be raped to be degraded, especially when you're the gender that is on the receiving end of a lot of indignity to begin with in normal life.

gelder

This. Definitely.

 

[rayw]

It's all us whiteys' fault.

I'm a middle aged white American male.
I got everyone by the shorties.
I'm oppressing everyone.
We're oppressing everyone.
I represent the warden to the prison of everyone's else's life.
I'm the secret minority.

So, of course it's more fun watching the prison warden get gang banged and shot in the head than to watch the new fish get indoctrinated.

That's some pretty funny sh!t watching those with the power getting (more than) a little comeuppance.
It's not quite so funny to watch the dogs get beat.
Unless of course you're the one beating the dog.

Comedy is great stuff.
Never a cliché moment.
Even in commercials, too.
A little role reversal would certainly end up in some class action law suits.

 

[harmonica44]

Comedy is based on a few basic principles, one of which is that it is funny to see someone, normally in a position of power, get their "come-uppance" or "just rewards".

Seeing a woman get anally raped is not funny, because men can and do take advantage of women in such ways. It's horrible, it's sad, it's scary, it's violent.

However, a bad man, being anally raped, can be seen as "funny", because someone who would normally in the dominant position is on the receiving end of a type of ironic justice. From a societal view, it's okay to find humor in the violent act, if it happens to someone who deserves it, or who would normally be in the superior position.

It's the same way comedy is normally anti-establishment, especially in a racial sense. It's funny to see someone who is the underdog (because of their race, gender or social class) take down the boss, whether it be the kid in Caddyshack or the female employees in 9 to 5 or the workers in CarWash.

That's why stand-up comedy doesn't work well if you're a white Republican, complaining about people of other races. It's just racist, because whites are the people in power, have all the social and financial advantages, etc. It isn't funny, because the person in power making fun of others is a dynamic we see in regular life, and isn't amusing It's a reminder of where we are, in our own situations.

But, seeing that same white Republican get knocked down a peg or two by a minority worker who has been berated for the length of the movie, or a female employee who has been discounted, or a poor white guy who the rich guy has put down earlier - that has the right dynamic for humor.

Also, the movies that people are saying are degrading to women are usually so because women are relegated to side characters, that are cardboard cutouts of real people, making the women either shrewish, or so sexy they embarrass themselves as whores, or whatever. You don't have to be raped to be degraded, especially when you're the gender that is on the receiving end of a lot of indignity to begin with in normal life.

gelder

The males in most movies though do not deserve it. They have sexually assaulted a woman in the movie, so there is no evidence that they deserve it having it done to them. They are goofy idiots, but not jerks, at least not the character who was anally raped in Get Him to the Greek.

 

[SinEater]

The males in most movies though do not deserve it. They have sexually assaulted a woman in the movie, so there is no evidence that they deserve it having it done to them. They are goofy idiots, but not jerks, at least not the character who was anally raped in Get Him to the Greek.

From a societal view, it's okay to find humor in the violent act, if it happens to someone who deserves it, or who would normally be in the superior position.

It's comedic because the male, normally the penetrater, aka the person in the superior dominant position, is forced to become the penetratee. It's not about him deserving it. It's about societal views on sex.

 

[harmonica44]

Oh so it's funny because men deserve it in general, not just the specific character. Well now I feel it's even more degrading to men to profile them like that, and use an innocent movie character to do it. I get what you guys are saying, I just wish critics who have complained about mainstream comedies being misogynist would open their eyes, or I need to figure out where the so called misogyny is.

Oh so it's funny because men deserve it in general, not just the specific character. Well now I feel it's even more degrading to men to profile them like that, and use an innocent movie character to do it. Another example I saw was in The Tuxedo. A woman federal agent, is doing shooting practice and she shoots out the whole crotch of a male paper target.

Now you could say that women have motivation to do that, but there are a lot of nerds and other types of characters in comedy that never get the girl, so you could argue that they too would have enough motive to shoot the crotch out of a female target, and that would still not be funny, even though, their motivation is just as high. Not that I'm saying either motivation on either side is right, but they are both there, and one is considered funny, and one not.

 

[SinEater]

I give up.

 

[harmonica44]

Lol no I get it. Really, thanks. I don't get the critics remarks, but I understand the views.

 

[Cracker Funk]

This reminds me of a conversation I had, a very long time ago, when a friend of mine complained about BET (Black Entertainment Television). His argument was along the lines of, "Man, that's racist. How come they get to have their own channel? Why can't we have White Entertainment Television?" (and he was being serious)

My response -- "You mean, like, the rest of the channels?"

Dude, Hollywood is very male-centric. If you don't know that, I feel like you're not really paying attention. The reason you don't hear complaints of man-hating is because, well, I don't really see any of it out there. And I don't really know any dudes who've ever complained that Hollywood is full of man-hating.

You will, however, find a TON of women who feel like they're being constantly degraded. That is their perception, and nobody can tell them that their perception is wrong. You and I might see things their way if we had vaginas.

So, if a WHOLE bunch of people are complaining about the SAME problem -- maybe there's something to it.

 

[spinner]

This reminds me of a conversation I had, a very long time ago, when a friend of mine complained about BET (Black Entertainment Television). His argument was along the lines of, "Man, that's racist. How come they get to have their own channel? Why can't we have White Entertainment Television?" (and he was being serious)

My response -- "You mean, like, the rest of the channels?"

This is the answer to the OP's question.

Another way to look at it is the "turnabout" is where the comedy comes from, comedy comes from tragedy. If you don't laugh at it, you'll get ulcers and migraines or end up in jail.

spinner

 

[NickClapper]

+1 to the above.

I would also add that Get Him To The Greek is not funny.

 

[rayw]

If you don't laugh at it, you'll get ulcers and migraines or end up in jail.

And then that's where I get to put my boot to your throat again.

 

[DeJager]

This reminds me of a conversation I had, a very long time ago, when a friend of mine complained about BET (Black Entertainment Television). His argument was along the lines of, "Man, that's racist. How come they get to have their own channel? Why can't we have White Entertainment Television?" (and he was being serious)

My response -- "You mean, like, the rest of the channels?"

Yes... because there are a ton of channels called WET (White Entertainment)?? It's the name of the channel, Cracker. The executives could at least hide the fact that they hate white people. It is reverse racism.

"the rest of the channels?"

Your response was not even close to being representative.

 

[NickClapper]

Yes... because there are a ton of channels called WET (White Entertainment)?? It's the name of the channel, Cracker. The executives could at least hide the fact that they hate white people. It is reverse racism.

"the rest of the channels?"

Your response was not even close to being representative.

You think that the name is more important than the content?

 

[CHamburger]

This reminds me of a conversation I had, a very long time ago, when a friend of mine complained about BET (Black Entertainment Television). His argument was along the lines of, "Man, that's racist. How come they get to have their own channel? Why can't we have White Entertainment Television?" (and he was being serious)

My response -- "You mean, like, the rest of the channels?"

+1

So what they named it "black entertainment television". A couple things, black audiences identify with a different cast then white viewers thats why BET has a lot of shows that wouldn't be prime time on a bigger network, except for Tyler Perry. Who cares about the name? Black people watch TV also, and I doubt they'd sit down to watch How I met Your Mother or Two and a Half Men. Most of the shows on TV are geared towards a white audience. Also specific to comedy, its obvious from the black and white comedians and their respective audiences that black humor and white humor can sometimes differ. Luckily I grew up in a predominantly black neighborhood so get most of the humor Katt Williams and others spit out while still enjoying Carlin etc.

Women do get degraded in comedies, its a fact. It Hangover the only female character that had a significant role was a prostitute who didn't catch on until the end that Stu didn't wanna marry her. In Get him to the Greek, women are portrayed as money hungry and hooking up with Aldus and Jonah Hill because of ones status and fame and the others connection to the latter. There aren't many female centric comedies that are also appealing to men; its a different humor as my girlfriend and I always debate lol. Maybe the only thing I can think of that has duality are the family comedies like National Lampoon, or something deeper and more realistic like Clerks or the woody allen movies.

Like other ps said its about the anti-establishment in society. You take whats accepted and flip it. Like the high school bully who goes back to his reunion and is bald and fat(I'm sure not every bully turned out that way) or the deuschebag in the office that gets fired while scheming against the underdog.

Female don't have much in terms of comedy, they either have to laugh at how their gender is portrayed or stay out of the theaters. Girls in comedy are the accessories to mostly male centered stories. They're expendable in comedies and as such are shown as however to make the story better and funnier to a primarily male audience.

 

[JoshL]

I agree with CHamburger; BET is more about expressing a culture than it is about shutting others out. There IS a cultural difference, and most television is geared towards us white folks. There's a balancing act between equality and diversity, and I think in the future there will be more networks providing similar content, and they won't have to specify that they are "black". But I'm optimistic that way!

As for women in comedy, there was a bit in Eric Idle's novel "The Road To Mars" about gender differences in comedy (it's a sci-fi adventure book about standup comedians, which delves into the history and analysis of comedy. It's a great read and I'd highly recommend). I can't remember it exactly, but something along the lines of men being more receptive to people laughing at them, thus more comedians are male. Extend that to film, and you've got more things written from a male perspective, and all the good and bad that implies.

 

[Uranium City]

a man is raped by a woman, up his anus with a dildo, but you never see it with the genders the other way around, played for laughs.

Wow, now that you mention it, it's true: you never see a woman anally raped with a dildo, played for laughs. Gee whiz, I wonder why this is. I mean it sounds so funny.