it's funny 'cause i say so

as a segue from the last post, i have this magnet next to my desk at work:

:D seriously.

anyway did you know that feminism is destroying the planet, rigorously scientifically proven?

that amused me. and speaking of amusement and irony intersected with feminism, this is a must-read (it applies to all this "ironic" what-you-don't-get-the-joke you-have-no-sense-of-humor it's-so-FUNNY-and-WITTY-really-i-swear! misogynistic stuff that keeps popping up, from pulafashion and other romanian oldies but goodies like femeia by dbrom or "muierea iti judeca pe dracu si ti-l scoate dator", to the newer alphabet of manliness):

how many feminists does it take to tell a joke

I’ve been thinking about this general subject of what’s funny vs. what’s not funny a lot recently anyway, and I don’t think there are any easy answers. For myself, it breaks down like this: I might laugh at a misogynist joke, but two conditions have to apply. First, it has to be really, really well done, and since the subject’s been mined so thoroughly, that’s increasingly difficult to do. Second, and even more importantly, my “I’m kidding, except I’m really not kidding” detector has to stay silent. If I sense that the dude making the joke really means it, on any level, that he really hates women–it’s not funny.

Yes! Exactly! ... I get offended on behalf of humor when someone tells a stupid joke. Nothing annoys me more than someone who thinks they’re hilarious but aren’t. ... Real wit is intelligent: a triumph of perception. Misogyny is not intelligent. It is therefore well-nigh impossible to say something that’s misogynist and funny at the same time, and very unlikely that any given misogynist will be intentionally funny.

A-freakin'-MEN! what bugs me especially is that the guys who make "jokes" and "social critiques" about, say, stupid/easy/slutty shopping- or image-obsessed girls (this is very popular among the romanian "cool dudes" right now) consider these remarks to be necessary and sufficient proof that they, unlike women, are bright and have escaped the clutches of mass media and the advertising industry. oh, please... by being misogynistic at heart they totally play into the status quo and manage to just fool themselves with their ridicule and "irony".

[later edit: oh, no, over at ibtp there's some discussion about the idea of women's obsession with chocolate being an evil product of the patriarchy! or maybe the point is that what's evil is the idea that women are obsessed with little tiny morsels of chocolate and other sweets. well, i heartily second the latter observation but i completely disagree with the former! i like chocolate, and A LOT of it, and i consider this to be independent of the patriarchy and body image issues; or, if it's at all related it is to fly in their face. but i should mention that i don't think chocolate-lovin' is biologically linked to either of the sexes - any person in their right mind, no matter their sex, should like good, dark chocolate. especially if they're pms-ing. :P

& not so relevant, but funny: twisty of ibtp found some cows.]