FA3 - “Women Drivers, That’s the Problem”
SCURS Disciplines
English
Document Type
General Presentation (Oral)
Invited Presentation Choice
Not Applicable
Abstract
Many scholars, and many comedians, have debated over the question of what makes jokes offensive. Some scholars debate whether it’s the joke that is offensive or the irony of the persona that the joke presents (Bachelder 2011). In hopes to help settle the confusion, a case study was conducted on offensive jokes about women, specifically those seen within television cartoons that joke about women’s driving. In the past, jokes about women have been used to belittle and create negative attitude towards women (Gregori-Signes 2016). However, women have been taking back power by embracing this stereotype. In this case-study, examples from The Looney Tunes Show, The Jetsons, and a cartoon short called The Car of Tomorrow were used to define offensive jokes compared to non-offensive jokes. The Jetsons example shows how the extent of the jokes and the frequency play a factor in to the offence of the joke. However, the example in The Car of Tomorrow shows us that other jokes that play off the satire of the presented persona can be less offensive. The difference in these can be summarized by not just how the joke is presented but the underlying beliefs by the person or persons presenting these jokes (Bicknell 2007). After reviewing the examples within the case study, the conclusion to the question is that there is not one definitive answer to whether a joke is offensive or not. However, there are factors that play into these jokes that can determine if a joke is offensive or not. Some of these factors include whether the comedian is a part of the group surrounding the joke (in this case women), if the comedian believes these stereotypes as true, and who the audience is. Answering this question allows society to have a laugh without it being at the expense of other people.
Keywords
Comedy, Women, Offensive jokes, Cartoons, Case study
Start Date
10-4-2026 2:40 PM
Location
CASB 103
End Date
10-4-2026 2:55 PM
FA3 - “Women Drivers, That’s the Problem”
CASB 103
Many scholars, and many comedians, have debated over the question of what makes jokes offensive. Some scholars debate whether it’s the joke that is offensive or the irony of the persona that the joke presents (Bachelder 2011). In hopes to help settle the confusion, a case study was conducted on offensive jokes about women, specifically those seen within television cartoons that joke about women’s driving. In the past, jokes about women have been used to belittle and create negative attitude towards women (Gregori-Signes 2016). However, women have been taking back power by embracing this stereotype. In this case-study, examples from The Looney Tunes Show, The Jetsons, and a cartoon short called The Car of Tomorrow were used to define offensive jokes compared to non-offensive jokes. The Jetsons example shows how the extent of the jokes and the frequency play a factor in to the offence of the joke. However, the example in The Car of Tomorrow shows us that other jokes that play off the satire of the presented persona can be less offensive. The difference in these can be summarized by not just how the joke is presented but the underlying beliefs by the person or persons presenting these jokes (Bicknell 2007). After reviewing the examples within the case study, the conclusion to the question is that there is not one definitive answer to whether a joke is offensive or not. However, there are factors that play into these jokes that can determine if a joke is offensive or not. Some of these factors include whether the comedian is a part of the group surrounding the joke (in this case women), if the comedian believes these stereotypes as true, and who the audience is. Answering this question allows society to have a laugh without it being at the expense of other people.