Why does he need to dredge up the tired myth that comedy’s a male thing?
Why do unfunny men never stop going on about unfunny women? This time, it was the former TV chat show host Michael Parkinson. Disagreeing about men finding it difficult to express their emotions, he said that most men he knew were sensitive and funny: “It’s a very contentious statement, but they’re much better than women in their sense of humour.” He went on to grumble about his comments getting him into trouble. You can’t say anything these days, can you? Especially when it’s demonstrable codswallop.
Let’s deal with this in the fragrant ladylike way that women are really good at. Parkinson is entitled to conclude that one sex is “much better” at humour. It’s his business – and no reflection at all on his archaic attitudes – if he managed to sit in front of innumerable female guests and find none of them particularly amusing. Nor is it Parky’s fault if he’s unable to recall the countless delusional male bores gassing away on his show, because, let’s face it, not all of them were Muhammad Ali.
