As befitting his public persona of a plain-speaking Yorkshireman, and making the kind of devil-may-care social transgression that is the privilege of the very old, Sir Michael Parkinson has declared that men have a better sense of humour than women.
In a interview with the Australian Daily Telegraph, the veteran broadcaster, 85, was asked whether men found it hard to express their emotions. ‘Most men I know are the opposite, they’re very sensitive and also very funny,’ he replied. ‘That’s the the thing I like most about men. It’s a contentious statement but they’re much better than women in their sense of humour.’
Such gender essentialism, especially that in favour of males, is taboo these days. So many unfashionable truths are. Thus we should be thankful to Parky for reminding us of something most of us know, but now dare not say.
A report published in October last year did indeed appear to conclude that men are funnier than women.
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