How Many Feminists Does It Take to Change a Lightbulb?

Exposure to sexist jokes can lead to hostility towards women, according to a recent study . In one experiment, a group of male participants were more likely to cut funding for a (hypothetical) women’s center after viewing a sexist comedy clip, than a control group, whose comedy clip was neutral. Thomas E. Ford, who conducted the experiment, explained:

Sexist humor…can affect men’s perceptions of their immediate social surroundings and allow them to feel comfortable with behavioral expressions of sexism without the fear of disapproval of their peers. Specifically, we propose that sexist humor acts as a ‘releaser’ of prejudice.

In other words, men with a high level of sexism are more likely to see their views as socially acceptable, if they’re exposed to these jokes. In an identical social situation, where these jokes don’t come up, the person’s latent sexism is less likely to be aroused, for fear of ostracization or shaming.

Is this surprising to you? How often have you noticed that sexism seems to become more acceptable in your peer group after, say, watching Family Guy? Have you ever noticed how the atmosphere changes after someone in your group of friends makes a derogatory comment? Perhaps this is also true for women in ethnic and religious minorities? What do you think?

On a lighter note, there’s a ‘Smart Blonde’ joke, to make you laugh, after the jump.

A blonde is pulled over by a cop for speeding.

The cop asks her, "Can I see your license?"

"No," she says, "I don’t have one. It was revoked after I went drunk driving."

"I see. Can I see your registration, then?"

"Oh, this isn’t my car. I stole it."

"Uh-huh. Well, may I ask you why you’re driving when you know it’s against the law?"

"Oh, I just killed someone and had to chuck their body in the woods. The body’s in the trunk."

"Can I take a look?"

"Not without a warrant."

The cop calls for backup; five police cars surround the woman; they call a judge and get a warrant. The officer pops the trunk; it’s empty.

The officer’s superior is talking to the woman, who has meanwhile produced a (valid) license and (valid) registration. The woman is absolutely indignant.

"I’m terribly sorry about this, ma’am," the sheriff says. "My colleague believed that you had stolen this car, had a revoked license, and had just committed murder."

"I’ll bet the bastard told you I was speeding , too!"