I'm sure you've heard this. Perhaps you've even said it. Maybe you still think it.
I just got done reading a defense of Sarah Silverman over at TPM. Before I even read the piece, I had my thoughts about Sarah. Shannon Kelly, who wrote the article, nailed it. Her article is in response to one done by Brian Lowry for Variety called "Sarah Silverman's Bad Career Move: Being as Dirty as the Guys."
I which, he says..............
There’s something simultaneously fascinating and maddening about Sarah Silverman – graced with genuine talent and a well-defined comedic persona on one hand, and a commitment to pushing past the edge in a way that blunts her appeal on the other. Despite all manner of career-friendly gifts – from her looks to solid acting chops – she’s limited herself by appearing determined to prove she can be as dirty and distasteful as the boys.....
Shannon's rebuttal is spot on.
"Appearing determined." Lowry may be right. Her entire schtick may be contrived, designed to show those boys that she can roll around in the muck, too! It may be survival strategy: after all, comedy is a man's world, and, like the women infiltrating the board rooms decades ago in their shoulderpadded power suits, perhaps there's a measure of safety to be found in blending in. Why not try to beat them at their own game, out-dirty the dirty ol men?
Or maybe ... she just thinks her stuff is funny.
But a woman's choices must never be taken at face value! And by putting herself out there, a woman is offering herself for judgment. And she'll be held to a different set of standards.
And society just doesn't know what to do with a woman like Sarah Silverman: funny, foul-mouthed, successful, unmarried, childless, and--gasp!--42 years old. She shouldn't be making jokes, the woman should be apologizing!
But, in a broader sense, women have been historically criticized as being "not as funny as men." I'm a white man. I like comedy. Everyone has different tastes. I think, among the men, currently there are about five comics who are doing great stuff.
And there are just as many women.
Here are my favorites. Feel free to let loose with yours.
Kathleen Madigan:
Maria Bamford:
Tig Nataro
Marina Franklin
Kristen Schaal