How To Handle Anti-Male Jokes In Public

Submitted by Scott on Mon, 2000-08-21 17:50

Charles Walbridge wrote in with some good strategies to deal with anti-male jokes in the workplace and elsewhere. I like his ideas, and I think this would be a great topic to start a message board discussion on. How have you dealt with male bashing jokes in public? Take a moment to let everyone know on the message board for this story. Click "Read More..." to read Charles' submission and post your own comments.

Handling Anti-male Jokes in the Workplace







Let's say you hear, or overhear, a coworker, "Mary," tell a joke you find
offensive.



Try one or both of these strategies;



A. "Oh, good, now we can tell gender jokes. I have a whole bunch of women
jokes, blond jokes, lesbian jokes, menstruation jokes...."
Then don't. Walk away. Period.



B. If you need to raise her sensitivity further: Quote her to your fellow
employees. Without additional comment:

"Mary said...."

"Mary told a joke...."

"Mary's joke yesterday was...."

"Mary's joke last week was...."

"That reminds me of Mary's joke...."


If somebody asks, "Do you think that's funny?" You reply, without
emphasis, "She did."

(Though I dare say that eventually she won't.)



To be truly methodical keep a list of who you repeated which joke to.



At no point have you criticized Mary's sense of humor. Nor have you
retaliated in kind. You have risen above that level.



If Mary or any other woman should be so obtuse as to complain of any joke
she interprets as sexist, people might remember,
because you quoted her so often; she opened the door to this. (But don't
count on it.)



Victim feminists seem to enjoy shooting themselves in the foot. We would be
less than gentlemen if we didn't help them.



Remember: We are nice -- but relentless.



Charles Walbridge

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