What "liberal"***, male comedians/commentators are NOT sexist?

[bloom]

Keith Olbermann is:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=341x6755

Imus:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=364&topic_id=812309

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=364&topic_id=810641

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=364&topic_id=722727


Jon Stewert's jokes often seem to be aimed at 13 years old boys.


Same goes for Stern, Maher.


Someone mentioned Andy Rooney (I don't know what he considers himself to be) and his sexist comments.


Is it so common that "liberals" don't think twice about it?




***I don't think that they are necessarily "liberal" - ( are more likely to consider themselves libertarian) - but they seem to have an audience among people who consider themselves liberal.

[wryter2000]

1. That's some list you have there

Andy Rooney liberal? Huh?

Imus and Stern? Give me a break. Sexist, yes. I don't want to claim those two as liberals.

Maher, for sure. He's as sexist as they come. I won't watch him. Period.

I've never heard Jon Stewart say anything sexist. If you think his humor is suitable for a 13-year-old boy, that to me would suggest bodily functions. I don't remember any of that, either, but that isn't necessarily sexist.

That comment by Olbermann is creepy, and he needs to be told so. I imagine he's older than Sharon Stone.

[NYCGirl]

2. Olbermann may be older than Sharon Stone,

but the difference is that he's not baring his pubic area in a movie. She is.

[The Flaming Red Head]

10. as a 40 something

I get hit on more by 20 and 30 somethings than any other age group, so maybe these guys don't get it, but most men do.


Edited: not to sound sexist but women are like fine wine we just get better with age.

[NYCGirl]

20. Do you think the public would pay $10 to see you naked in a movie?

BTW, I'm a 50 something woman who consistenly dates younger men (not by design, but it just always happens that way).

[The Flaming Red Head]

27. I don't think they'd pay 10 cents

I have no delusions of grandeur

[bloom]

4. You might notice my note

I noticed Stern considers himself Libertarian. I don't know what Imus thinks he is. Or Rooney - as I mentioned.

All of them have been supported by people here. There is a current thread that suggests we should care about what Rooney said on Imus.


I'm not the only one who sees Stewert's humor occasionally deviating into to sexism for adolescents.

[WePurrsevere]

3. I don't think of Bill Cosby, Robin Williams or Billy Crystal as "sexist" &

I think they're "Liberal".

[bloom]

9. There seemed to be more of a consciousness about feminism in the 70s.

When those comedians became popular.

Nowadays - sexism seems more standard. Esp. by so many political commentator-type comedians. I think it affects the opinions of their fans.

[enlightenment]

5. I don't think it sexism, per se,

just that strange attitude that men -- even educated, enlightened, liberal men -- occasionally drop into; the one that makes them think that bathroom jokes and Hooters are funny and cool.

Most women tend to disagree, though of course there are plenty who also enjoy those things (why I don't know -- that's an equality I can do without!)

[LoKnLoD]

6. Lewis Black

I never heard anything sexist from him

[bloom]

25. I like Lewis Black

I don't know what he is like when he is doing a whole show - I would be interested to see.

[LoKnLoD]

28. I saw him last weekend

in SLC, Utah. He's working on a new special for HBO. He was hilarious, had front row center.

[BlooInBloo]

7. Does making jokes involving sex/gender = sexist to you?

Then I defy you to find ANY comedian who isn't sexist - according to that definition.

Cosby makes plenty of jokes involving sex and/or gender. I just saw a slew of em last night.

[bloom]

12. I think there can be

sexual jokes that don't seem to be about demeaning women / abusing women / hating women - that could be funny/not sexist.

Typically - offensive is part of the game these days. And a lot of that is sexist, IMO.

[BlooInBloo]

17. But jokes of practically ALL sorts are "deameaning" or "insulting"...

... so if it happens to be about women, then it becomes sexist?

Seems a lil broad to me, but ok.

[dave29]

8. I'm sorry, but Jon Stewart is not sexist.

n/t

[bloom]

14. He often assumes that his audience is male.

I find that sexist. Like when recently he assumed we would ALL be getting an erection from watching a certain FOX news segment.


There was also a piece that was supposed to be funny that involved molesting that I thought was really obnoxious.


I wouldn't say that there is sexism on every show - but enough to be annoying.

[TreasonousBastard]

11. Probably none of them by your definition...

because they are comedians, and "sexist" jokes are often funny.

Female comics can be every bit as "sexist" themselves-- giving back as good as they get and it doesn't bother me a bit that a lot of them, maybe most, base a large part of their acts on our male foibles.

[gatorboy]

13. What would you consider sexist?

When I think of sexist, I think of someone who degrades the opposite sex. Or someone that truely believes the opposite gender is beneath them. I wouldn't consider making "boobie" jokes sexist. Maybe childish, but then, you would be talking about a majority of the male gender. :P

[bloom]

16. As I was saying

in post 12 (similar to what you said):


I think there can be sexual jokes that don't seem to be about demeaning women / abusing women / hating women - that could be funny/not sexist.

Typically - offensive is part of the game these days. And a lot of that is sexist, IMO.


And also - I think it's sexist when comedians assume their audience is male - and the jokes are directed toward them. Stewert's type of "boobie" jokes are part of the 13 year old boy mentality variety - some of which may or may not be offensive - except that men/boys are the assumed audience. If there were more women comedians on the show - to balance out the humor/have equal opportunity humor - it would be a better show.

Also - Stewert seems to give a lot fluffier interviews to the women guests - that I often find annoying. Reserving more seriousness for the men.

[EFerrari]

15. The vast majority of comedians I know are liberals.

And the vast majority of human beings I know participate in institutional racism and sexism.

A comedian's job is to make you laugh, not to define your moral compass -- although, a good one may.

[bloom]

18. The thing of it is

I don't think that it inevitable. As someone pointed out Cosby, Robin Williams, & Billy Crystal - and they were part of the culture that was aware of trying to avoid sexism and racism back in the day.

I think it says something about our current culture that the comedians don't care - and that the viewers apparently like sexism or whatever. That that is supposedly what sells advertising. And I think it also breeds sexists - at least makes it more acceptable. Like the young people don't even know. As if that is the only way it can be.

[EFerrari]

23. I don't think it's a matter of not caring. But I agree with you

that this whole culture has been degraded over the last 10 years or so. So, there is (for example) a whole new crop of young comics that use material that would make us blanch. There is that level of mirroring going on, sure.

There is no real avoiding of sexism or racism or of bigotry in comedy. It's more a matter of what you do with it. Condemnation isn't, in itself, funny.

[aden_nak]

19. Comedy is the art of making a generalization sound personal.

Most female comedians, including liberal-minded ones, play the constant in-joke that women are smarter than men. Pick any sitcom at random for more proof on that (from The Honeymooners to Everybody Loves Raymond to The Simpsons).

As a point of genuine interest, how do you feel about George Carlin? He's certainly no conservative. He pounded on Reagan for years, and his personal nickname for Barbara Bush is "The Silver Haired Douchebag". But here's a guy that will go from telling a joke about about "Snapper" lawnmowers and the amusing secondary meaning to hitting a rant about how god must be a man, because no woman would fuck things up this badly, to talking about the pettiness of our culture "Bad Hair Day? Put on a hat and go to work, you shallow ****!" And yet his outlook on the world is consistant. Of course, that sort of complexity is why I like him.

[bloom]

24. I think George Carlin

is another one of those 70's era comedians who made comedy that could appeal to men and women - instead of being totally male-centered.

Yeah - he might be offensive and all that - but I don't get the impression that he is only talking to men - or making jokes for their benefit alone.

[ima_sinnic]

21. Al Franken (nt)

[BlooInBloo]

22. According to bloom's expansive definition, he CERTAINLY is...

[bloom]

26. I stopped listening to Al Franken

because he gave Bush too much the benefit of the doubt and I didn't feel like listening to it anymore. Seems I heard he was DLC, also.

He doesn't strike me as someone who makes comedy mostly for the mentality of 13 year old boys &/or as someone who hates women. But then I might have missed that.