The Vagenda

Shit Comedian Mike Sheer Only Mildly Funnier Than Rape…

 
 
…i.e. NOT AT ALL. 
 
So Chortle.co.uk, one of the leading UK comedy websites, posted this charming little addition to that “ongoing ‘Are Women Funny?’ debate- because it’s been such a relevant and interesting subject so far.
 
It comes from hilarious comic Mike Sheer (if you’ve never heard of him, that’s because nobody really has… until now eh Mike?) who decides to ask that age old question: “Which is less funny: women or rape?“ 
 
It caused such a massive furore that Chortle issued a response, citing how it’s ironic and supposed to be tongue-in-cheek. Well of COURSE it’s ironic. Of COURSE it’s supposed to be tongue in cheek; nobody could get away with saying that shit otherwise. They wouldn’t have put it up. But that is totally not the point.
 
You’ll all be ecstatic to learn that he thinks women are less funny than rape. Yeah. 
 
Oh MIKE you absolute SCREAMER. WHY aren’t you more successful and well known? I’m literally crying into my rape alarm (with laughter) and becoming confused because the rape alarm is reminding me of how funny rape is, and then actually crying because I’ve just realised how I’ll NEVER be as funny. As rape, I mean. 
 
Satire? Irony? But satire and irony are supposed to be funny Mike! I thought you were a comedian? And yes, I can laugh at the odd bit of sexism because, just like all the other stereotypes that come under fire from (lazy) comedians, women are not immune to that. Just like men are not immune to that. But the GOOD comedians come at it from a fresh, interesting angle. The GOOD comedians make it funny and unoffensive, and I’m not going to list the ways in which you could do that because, hey, THAT’S YOUR JOB. Otherwise it’s just someone standing on a stage being offensive which, obviously, is some people’s idea of a rollicking laugh… but they’re in the minority. 
 
 
Well enough of my silly feminine chit-chat, let’s pick some choice phrases from Mike Sheer’s ode to Ending His Fucking Career because, after all, he’s the funny one: 
 
 
“Rape is essentially raw brutality. Okay, so far so funny. Anything violent has the capacity to be hilarious. I believe it’s called ‘slapstick’ However, rape is also a devastatingly personal tragedy and loss. That’s not funny”
 
OK that was framed fairly insensitively but once I stopped laughing hysterically at the words “raw brutality” (you’re RIGHT, when raw brutality is put in a set, you don’t even need jokes or anything! GENIUS!) I get what you mean Mike. It’s not funny. I agree.
 
 
“…as to whether or not the rapist finds it funny is inconsequential. They’ve already had their fun.”
 
Bye Mike. You’ve lost your audience like the excellent comedian you truly are. Why would you add that in? Are you attention seeking again, Mike? Awwww. Oh, look, now he’s talking about women:
 
 
“Do I hate women? The short answer is “no”. The long answer is ‘no but yes’. I have a rather macrocosmic perception in regards to women: I don’t hate them personally, of course, but I hate them as a whole. I hate how they manipulate me with their sultriness and crumble my directives. I hate how they receive better treatment from society just because they are weak and soft. I hate how they appear to like me and then rarely do. So when one steps behind that microphone, can you blame me for reeling?”
 
 
He’s tried a bit of self depreciation to soften the blow, but because he’s shite at writing, it hasn’t really come through. He can’t REALLY be saying that because women won’t fuck him, he can’t find them funny. Because that would be… well there aren’t really words in the English Language that convey what I feel that would be. All I can think of is Fuckhead.
 
“To enjoy a comedian you have to like them. Either immediately, or after they insult themselves to the point where you no longer feel threatened. Some women are capable of doing this, but only when I didn’t really want to fuck them anyway.”
 
Oh. You actually genuinely don’t find women funny because they won’t fuck you. It’s really weird, because I find funny guys incredibly fuckable and for some reason I want to hit you with a pole. I wonder why you don’t get laid? Maybe after this article eh? FINGERS FUCKING CROSSED EH? (fuckheadfuckhead)
 
Then Ole Mikey goes on to explain a lil bit about why men have had to develop a sense of humour in order to attract women, and how all women can do is “imitate us if they want to be funny, by copying our method of telling jokes”. Which is a redundant point. Comedy is an organic process. It’s a constantly changing, adapting medium where everyone copies everyone else constantly, adding their own styles and personalities, in order to form a coherent whole. Or, at the very least, an hour-long Edinburgh show that gets a 4 star review from Chortle. 
 
Women weren’t hugely integral to the foundations of the comedy industry, sure. That’s because we weren’t allowed to speak at the dinner table or do anything on stage other than sing alluringly and get our arses smacked. It’s now the 21st century and women have been being funny and telling jokes and even writing their own funny TV shows and everything for QUITE A LONG TIME NOW. We’ve sort of caught up. And the Are Women Funny Debate is doing nothing but highlighting a segregation that ISN’T REALLY THERE ANYMORE IS IT? 
 
 
At this point I could name (TINA FEY) some women who are (AMY POEHLER) integral to the industry (SO YOU THINK YOU’RE FUNNY AWARD WINNER AISLING BEA) at the moment but I won’t because that’s what Chortle want me to do. That’s why Mike Sheer wrote his shitty article. 
 
 
The worst thing about this entire fandango is that Chortle have done a Daily Fail. They’ve decided to shit all over the fact that for years hilarious women have had to answer the “are women funnier than men” question and “are men funnier than women” question and the “how can you manage to tell a joke long enough without bleeding all over the stage” question purely so they’ll get more views. And this isn’t just something nothingy to get the punters talking, Chortle have made me so angry I tried to make a salad and kept wanting to punch the cucumber. They have insulted and offended some of the funniest people they trawl London reviewing, so more people will have a little look at their website. 
 
 
Obviously it’s supposed to be tongue in cheek, but it’s difficult to laugh when framed in such an outrageously insensitive and repulsive way. Women have been fighting against the fact that being funny is “intimidating” and “masculine” and “nobody will ever want to shag you” for bloody ages, and stuff like this is not helping. Oi, Chortle, you’re supposed to be supporting comedy. Not degrading some of the funniest comedians in the world for the sake of hits. Next time why not try writing something witty and clever and amusing? 
 
Complete and utter shame on you.
 
- SM

9 thoughts on “Shit Comedian Mike Sheer Only Mildly Funnier Than Rape…

  1. I’ve been on Chortle’s forum where this is being feebly discussed and posted a link to the above blog post of great genius. Sheer is furiously backtracking and keeps banging on about the offending article being misunderstood satire. To me, though, he is and will forever remain and twat. Too late, mate, too late.

    I also tweeted Sarah Milligan to ask her how she felt about the ad for her show actually accompanying the original article. There it was flickering on the right hand side of the page while Sheers puked up his nonsense. I hope to fuck she was duly mortified and did lots of screaming at the site’s administrators.

  2. It does seem like he intended it as a joke, but it just wasn’t very clear at all from the way it was written, especially from the first few paragraphs, and it so came across as though he was being completely serious. But I don’t think anyone who really hated women would admit to it, or say “I hate how they appear to like me and then rarely do.” That line does seem like he was trying to make fun of the underlying attitudes that stop some men finding women funny. He just did a very bad job at getting his sarcasm across.

    Judging by his response to the backlash (http://www.chortle.co.uk/correspondents/2012/10/04/16260/yours_sincerely…) and his twitter account, he does seem to be listening to people’s criticism about it. But yuck, that was definitely a misguided article. Your post made me laugh a lot more!

  3. It is so strange that, in daily life, I, or any of my other lady friends who occasionally bring out a good zinger or a classic line, are ever confronted with the idea that we’re not as funny as our chap friends. I have never heard anyone laugh less wholeheartedly at something I said because I am a woman or snigger at my attempts at humour (admittedly, sometimes these do not go down well, but that’s just because I am sometimes a little dreadful). Why then is it such a huge issue in professional comedy? I am a native French and English speaker and the French comedy world does not seem (unless I am utterly mistaken, in which case, pardonnez-moi) to have such a debate surrounding funny genders. The scene developed in a very different way than in the English-speaking world admittedly, and perhaps a little later, but the female comics on stage today do not grapple with this issue as much, or at all. In fact, one of the most famous and respected comedians in the French-speaking world is Florence Foresti who, if you have any grasp of French, is simply fantastic and hilarious.

  4. Ciara, I enjoyed your reply. You’re the first person who has used Sheer’s article to have a real chat about the issues. I wish I could speak French to take up your recommendation.

    This whole event has made me dislike people who claim they are feminists. People have been calling Sheer a c*nt on twitter. The very language we use sets the standard for gender division. C*nt is the arguably the ‘worst’ word in the english language and it refers to a woman’s anatomy in a hateful way – just hateful.

    I thought that the article was very important. Until we start to really discuss all this stuff out in the public domain – it will be hard to see a better future. The truth is, Sheers article only echoed what all women hear on a daily basis. It’s unfortunate that the feminist groups have all gotten so bitter and angry about it and then personally vilified Sheer instead of using it as an opportunity to make some important points.

    SM – I found your article to be far too personally emotional and a one-way argument. I thought Bramlich’s article on Chortle “Are men funny?” was a far better response than taking Sheer’s quotes out of context and YELLING throughout an article to make a point. If you need to yell to make a point, then perhaps you should work harder on your writing.

    I looked up Mike Sheer on youtube and he is funny. He talks about real issues in the world. It’s better than 99% of the ‘lovely’ comics out there. Comedy isn’t for the ‘lovely’ – it’s for the people who actually want to change peoples stupid views on stuff (George Carlin). England is full of crap comics and also unreasonable “feminists” who YELL because they think their opinion is the right one because they are a woman. I find both to bring nothing new to the argument – pretty much like this angry, poorly delivered article. For the record SM, I thought Sheer’s article was clever and amusing. SM didn’t because you’re too busy seeing things the way you have always viewed them – with a very narrow view. Change will never come that way.

  5. some women are funnier than some men.. and some men are funnier than some women.. i don’t understand why this is a discussion still..Are women funnier than men? what will the answer to that question really do to benefit/change our lives?…

  6. You keep getting mixed up between ‘you’re’ and ‘your’. I don’t mean to sound like one of those petty cave people who spend their time correcting our grammar on the internet, but it really hurts me to read that particular mistake, specially since you criticized that guy for not being able to write. :( sorry

  7. I didn’t personally find Sheer’s article funny. For me, it just isn’t written in an ironic or satirical tone of voice – maybe it’s too subtle for me… SM, you’re right, Chortle’s decision to publish the article was wrong – they should know better.
    However I think it would be more productive to read a response that really talked about the issues, not just a series of personal attacks on the Sheer.
    “I wonder why you don’t get laid?” For me, using the fact a man doesn’t find it easy to pull women is not a very feminist way of criticising someone. Or at least not a very equalist way. I hope my ability to pull doesn’t reflect or equate my value as a person!!! But just attacking him, instead of attacking the article or the ideas, undermines your argument – it becomes too personal.

  8. As a victim of rape I speak for every other victim when I say rape will

    NEVER

    FUCKING

    EVER

    be funny. Ever.

    As for you Grace, I am really disheartened to hear you almost side with Sheer; I have no doubt that some of his sketches can be worth a chuckle or two but I believe watching and supporting someone who can write an article as horrific as the aforementioned almost condones their behaviour and will encourage them to continue being sexist, mysogynist pigs and complete fuckheads.

    This, as a feminist and woman and also quite a funny one – is NOT what any self respecting person should do.

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