My sense of humour fails me

So what does it mean to have a sense of humour? I asked myself this as I watched this clip of Snoop Dogg being (I say this with a little hesitation) funny. I'd like to think of myself as a person with a sense of humour. In order to understand what humour truly is I looked up it's meaning on one of these online dictionaries (HALELUYER). I looked at a few definitions and finally settled on this one . Please watch the clip below and then I will continue...



What did you notice right away, besides the colourful language? Uhmmm... How about how when he spoke about the women he 'attacked their sexuality'? When he spoke about the guys he spoke about their personalities or the way they looked. I was waiting for him to say something like that woman with dark glasses 'looking like a ghetto-fabulous fly' or something. But 'some hoe'?? No, I had not anticipated that.

At first I was alarmed by what he was saying and I thought 'this is not funny anymore'. As I was about to stop the clip, I thought 'hang on, these women are laughing'. These females were laughing at what the man was saying, so SURELY it had to be OKAY? Not only were they laughing at themselves, but the other women in the audience were laughing too.

So who was I supposed to be mad at? Snoop Dogg for choosing to attack women's sexuality (and in such a vulgar manner)? I mean how do I compare being called 'Ice Age' to being called a whore? How do I even start to compare the two? OR was I supposed to be mad at the women who were laughing and in turn sending a message to men and young girls that 'it's okay to be spoken to like that'?

In this months 'True Love' (ha ha ha ha) Lebo Mashile writes about something similar and she points out that Beyonce's mother was the person who 'clothed' her for most of her career and that Kelly Khumalo's first manager was a woman. I guess the point that I'm trying to make here is that it's not just men that are 'dehumanising' and 'over-sexualising' women. We, women, also play a part in this and we need to look at what we are allowing to be done to us. If one of those women had gotten up and walked off stage (which would have no doubt been seen as 'uncool' or 'overREACTting') or even NOT LAUGHED, it would have sent a message that saying things like that is UNACCEPTABLE'.

For as long as we keep laughing at these 'funny jokes' or accepting that nudity means success, men will keep thinking it's okay to throw money at our 'money makers' and then turn around and throw insults at the very money makers that brought them into the world.

Okay so now you're thinking that I'm being too sensitive and that it was all meant in jest. but I believe it was Shakespeare (not sure which play, it could have been king Lear) who said something along the lines of 'jesters do oft prove prophets'... Some there is some truth in the 'jesting' of Snoop Dogg in that clip. Look past the 'humour' and you'll see what the state of affairs really is and the truth of our society.

Nuff said...

P.S I am fully aware of the fact that the post below about the B&$#% on the scooter may be contradictory, but I am learning each day to be a better woman (AND taking responsibility for the part that I play in the state of affairs)... That's why I am sharing my journey with you :)