Image by Carolyn Main So, I don’t know if y’all have heard, but I write a humor column about injustice (taking the radical stance that I don’t like it). My intention with comedy is to make people feel better, and some readers comment that they hate me. All I’m trying to do with comedy is […]
Barbara Holm
Posted inComedy
Don’t Be a Dick, “Funny” Guy
Illustration by Carolyn Main Recently my friend and I were in a bar playing pinball and telling a giant straight white male why he should stop yelling the N word (because hey, it was a Friday), and the rapscallion kept defending himself, saying, “I was being funny. I was totally kidding. You just don’t get […]
Posted inSexual Politics
Don’t Be a Dick, Anti-Feminists
Carolyn Main A few days ago I was hosting an open mic and a very funny nice comedian said, “I don’t understand feminism. Do you feminists just want to BE men?” It’s not the first time I’ve heard feminism equated to butchness, yelling at men for opening doors for us, and growing out our Rapunzel-esque […]
Posted inSexual Politics
Don't Be a Dick, Abortion Shamers
Recently, I was talking to a Portland abortion clinic social worker (because I know how to party) and she said that one of her patients arrived at the clinic by medical cab to an unwelcoming committee of protesters. The driver decellerated and told the protesters, “I’m on your side. I’m just doing this for a […]
Posted inComedy
Don’t Be a Dick, Smile Police
Carolyn Main The other evening I was walking down the street and a guy sitting on the sidewalk yelled, “Hey! Give me a smile.” I executed a half smile and kept walking. He said, “Fine, be that way.” I was on my way to a bar, because it was a day, and when I recounted […]
Posted inComedy
Don’t Be a Dick, Kenan Thompson.
Illustration by Carolyn Main Formerly this column was entitled, “My Least Favorite Piece of Misogyny This Week,” and I wrote almost exclusively about gender politics related issues. But I guess I defeated misogyny! Just kidding, everything is still the worst. But I’m indignant and soap boxy about injustice in general, not just misogyny, thus I’m […]
Posted inSexual Politics
My Least Favorite Piece of Misogyny This Week: Comedy Bullies
Carolyn Main I love comedy open mics because they are a work-out room to sweat out new material. The creative process of birthing jokes is so beautiful; I rarely mind the joke placenta. However, the comedy scene in Portland is so sweet it leaves cupcake shops in its wake, and this often means that clubs […]
Posted inSexual Politics
My Least Favorite Piece of Misogyny This Week: Special Treatment Edition
Illustration by Carolyn Main A year ago, an article was published about me online and one of the anonymous comments read, “Barbara thinks the reason people don’t like her is because she’s a girl, but really the only reason anyone was ever nice to her was because they thought they could fuck her.” That inspired […]
Posted inSexual Politics
My Least Favorite Piece of Misogyny This Week: Miss America Edition
Carolyn Main This week saw the crowning of Miss America, and weirdly, I heard about it. New Yorker Nina Davuluri is the first Indian American to win Miss America. Her crowning induced a racist Twitter backlash postapocolyptic super-storm. Twitter trolls questioned Nina’s Americaness, calling her an Arab and a terrorist. It was racism slathered on […]
Posted inSexual Politics
My Least Favorite Piece of Misogyny This Week: Sluts and Slytherins Edition
Illustration by Carolyn Main Yesterday a comedian joked about abusing his girlfriend. It was awful. (How did he get a girlfriend?) It’s surprising how many comedians believe that the way to seem edgy is to portray women as sluts, objects, naggy, Slytherins, some other stereotype. Before you strap on your pitchforks and light your torches […]
Posted inSexual Politics
My Least Favorite Piece of Misogyny This Week: Asian Fetish Edition
Carolyn Main Not to brag, but at least five men have said to me, “You’re the first non-Japanese girl I’ve ever dated.” And I don’t know how to respond to that. “Thank you for slumming it? I’m sorry that the low self-esteem stereotype repository was devoid of your pervy racist fetish. But I’m so glad […]
Posted inSexual Politics
My Least Favorite Piece of Misogyny This Week: Russia
Illustration by Carolyn Main Russia recently incurred criticism for passing a law banning the “propaganda of nontraditional sexual relations.” Under the law, anyone supporting gay pride or anyone speaking in defense of gay rights is eligible for a prison sentence. A real prison sentence, not a verbal sentence about prison that we can ignore because […]