"Are women allowed to be funny?"

by Brian McKim & Traci Skene on February 10th, 2007

That’s the question posed in the title of a ludicrous article in the Christian Science Monitor that ran in Wednesday’s Chicago Sun-Times. (We actually pick up hard copies of the antique media when we fly!)

The short answer is “Yes.”

For the long, dumb answer, check out the article by the CSM’s Gloria Goodale. (Poor dear, it’s probably not her fault totally. She’s probably the victim of a nitwit editor who can’t seem to think of a good angle for a story on the debut of Sarah Silverman’s Comedy Central series.)

Yet, for every step forward, say many comics and cultural observers, when it comes to being funny, women still face many societal prejudices…

Yawn.

The Sun-Times version then seeks out “local funnygals” and solicits their opinions. We don’t blame them, either… they’re just telling the reporter what he/she wants to hear. (And, more than likely, they’re misquoted!)

The Female Half of the Staff has given up trying to argue against this inanity. Instead, she has concluded that, since she is an attractive female that has been making both male and female audiences laugh for over twenty years, she is an extraordinary human being, with near-godlike powers to amuse across genderal, socio-economic, racial and ethnic lines. All hail The Female Half of the Staff!