Most people love Tina Fey. Myself, included. But, unlike my the way I feel for say, the adorable kitties in my life, this love is NOT unconditional. Sorry, Ms. Fey.
Here's what I love about our little Tina: She obviously tries her best to create female-centered comedy (by, for and about ladies). She wrote such SNL classics as Old French Whore and Mom Jeans. She was the head writer of SNL, a notoriously male-dominated workplace. Fey is also a self-proclaiming Feminist, which is sadly rare amongst entertainment-types. She's not afraid to go on national television and proclaim that being a "bitch" might not be such a terrible thing. Even an Obama supporter such as myself felt proud to hear that.
Here's what drives me crazy: Fey's character on 30 Rock, Liz Lemon, is one of the most pitiful women I've ever seen. The obviously autobiographical Lemon exposes Feminist rhetoric, claiming she is happy as a successful, single career woman. Yet, Lemon is continually cut down by her *male* boss who points out that she is indeed unhappy because she is a single, career woman. If you haven't seen an episode, let me catch you up:
Lemon: I'm a successful woman! I'm the boss in a male-dominated field! I'm totally happy ! I don't need a man!
Boss: But you dress like crap, eat like crap and are totally lonely.
Lemon: You're right. I'm miserable. Better find a man.
Why the discrepancies?
It's enough to make me think that it's impossible to BE a successful, feminist, entertainer and PLAY one on TV.
I know that the character is not totally under the control of Tina Fey, but it seems like she should have enough say in the creation and execution of her show to keep such a sad role model off the small screen.
The worst part is that the dominant thought seems to tell us that it impossible to achieve an ethical comedy. Why do people seem to believe that being misogynist is a necessary bi-product of creating television comedy?
Recently, I recounted my disappointment with 30 Rock to a very progressive, intelligent woman. Her response: Oh, but that's why it's funny! You could never write comedy, J.
I was flabbergasted. First of all, I can and do write comedy, so there!
Secondly, the response wasn't - oh but it's funny, but rather "that is why it is funny" as if the misogynist bullshit is what makes us laugh. What a horrifying prospect.
Here's my deal. Call me naive, hopeful, what you will ... but I refuse to lose the faith. I believe in television. I believe it has the possibility to be great. I believe that smart, funny TV can be made. I believe that we do not have to compromise our ethics to laugh. And I have proof. Strangers with Candy, Arrested Development, Golden Girls and Freaks and Geeks to name a few of my favorites.
Let me tell you a joke:
Question: How many Feminists does it take to screw in a lightbulb?
Answer: That's not funny.
Let me tell you about what happened one time I tried to tell this joke:
Me: How many Feminists does it take to screw in a lightbulb?
Idiot: Oh! I know this one! It's "Two! One to screw it in and one to suck my dick!"
Me (horrified): That's not funny!
Feminists are notorious for not having a sense of humor, while people like Carlos Mencia get away with murder under the guise of making us laugh. I'm not laughing. I say, being Feminist is about laughing when there is something funny while maintaining the courage to say "That's not funny" when it's not fucking funny, when it's downright offensive.
I have a sense of humor, even about being a feminist. But talking shit about women, or making them look like weak, pathetic morons happens to be something I think we could all stand to take a little more seriously.
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I am very curious about where this goes. I remember reading Heinlein's Stranger in a Strange Land and being intrigued by the protagonist's insight that humans laugh because of pain or hurt. It does seem that a LOT of humor comes at someone's expense and because of deeply entrenched societal values (race, gender, class, whatever -- just look at stuffwhitepeoplelike.com well actually don't). I think a lot of humor gets by because "if we're laughing at it, it MUST be because we're aware of it, and how liberatory is it that we can laugh at misogyny?!?!"
So, I don't think I have conclusions, but I wonder if everyone laughing at racist/sexist/anti-feminist jokes laughs because they're really happy, or because there's something more below the surface that demands a reaction as bizarre as laughter... Maybe what we need to call for is laughter out of amusement and not out of discomfort/pain?
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