I empathize with feminism. With its different matrices and dimensions, it is the most inclusive philosophy there is. According the Black Feminist scholar Patricia Hill Collins, "paradigms of race, class, and gender [are] interlocking systems of oppression" (1), which become "one overarching structure of domination" (2). This is very similar to the systems/ecological framework where there are different levels, which act in conjunction, and cause cycles that can lead to oppression. These philosophies match up with how I see the world, but I face a certain type of dissonance everyday.

Comedy is my favorite outlet, but it clashes with feminism and the systems/ecological framework constantly. Here is one of my favorite comedians Patrice O'Neal:

This set is incredibly misogynistic, yet I love it. Anything he really says makes me laugh, but does it come at price? If I believe in feminism, am I hypocrite for liking this? Am I allowed to separate comedy from real life, or does comedy add to the patriarchal oppression of women?

Patrice is just one comic and does not represent comedy as a whole, but comedy itself has problems dealing with women. There really are not enough women comics, and when a women starts off in comedy I believe they are already at a disadvantage because there are already set roles of what type of comic they should be in order to be successful. To be successful, I think they have to be somewhat good-looking, they have to play up their sexuality, and they have to be somewhat shocking (If you try to refute that idea of success, ask yourself if there are women versions of Zach Galifinakis or Brian Posehn). A good example of an up-and-coming women comic who plays right into these limitations is Amy Schumer:

If you can get through that clip of her on the admittedly obnoxious Opie and Anthony radio show, you can see that she adheres to a type of comedy that men would want (in the clip before this one Opie and Anthony talk about how they usually do not like women comics). For a comic, that show is a big deal, and for her to get on there, her act needed to hit those three points that I mentioned before. The gatekeepers that help launch comics like Opie and Anthony, Howard Stern, and all the other late night talk show hosts are all men, which makes comedy ultimately patriarchal. Yet I happen to like Amy Schumer better than other woman comedians who do more low-key and cerebrally funny material like Maria Bamford or Tig Notaro. Is my being aware of these facts enough to excuse myself from falling in line with sexists, or am I implicitly contributing to sexism?

Hopefully newer woman comics like Amy Schumer can become the gatekeepers themselves and provide recognition to other woman comics. This would create competition amongst all stand-up comedians and maybe lead to more of an opportunity for woman to explore and take more risks in the stand-up world.

Source:

Hill Collins, Patricia. "Black Feminist Thought in the Matrix of Domination." Black Feminist Thought: Knowledge, Consciousness, and the Politics of Empowerment. 1990.