Niamh Emerson

1. When you hear the old shibboleth that “women don’t have a sense of humor” or are “less funny than men,” your immediate response is___________________.

Shibboleth is my new favorite word, and I shall now use it to the point of annoyance to those around me. #SorryNotSorry is what I think the kids would say these days.

When someone says that “women don’t have a sense of humor” or are “less funny than men,” my immediate response is “how sad for you.” There was a time when I would elaborate on this answer and give a full history of funny women and how women have to be funny because how else can we subvert the power dynamics go and on and on. But now, I just say, “How sad for you,” and leave it at that. It usually has the jarring effect I’m going for.

2. Were you funny as a kid? Were you funnier (or less funny) as teenager