What Do You Mean We, Pseudo-Scientist?
By Amanda finds the following statement from a Professor of Conservative Just-So-Stories:
A woman who deploys a typically male sense of humor–one that’s aggressive or competitive–is a turnoff to men, says Don Nilsen, a linguistics professor at Arizona State University in Tempe and an expert on humor. Many men feel threatened, perceiving a funny woman as a rival or worrying that they’ll become a target of her sharp tongue. ” I think every man in the world loves the humor, even the sexual put-down humor, of Judy Tenuta or Joan Rivers,” he says. “But very few men want to marry them.”
Yes, if there’s anything I find undesirable in a woman, it’s the ability to make me laugh; it’s just an instant turnoff. I think we can also all agree that 1)everything about human relationships can be explained in terms of zero-sum power struggles, and 2)If only she weren’t funny, Joan Rivers would be at the top of virtually any man’s list of a desirable mate. And I’m sure the same would be true of Judy Tenuta if I had any idea who the hell she is. Very compelling stuff; if this fellow plays his cards right he could be the poor man’s Steve Pinker.
See also Shakes Sis.