Come on! It's (Not) just a Joke!

The other day on the road ahead of me, there was chaos, and I overheard someone saying, "For sure, that must be a lady driving," and I heard a burst of laughter too. 

Haven't you often come across people cracking jokes at the office about the woman who is assertive and opinionated and the typical body-shaming jokes on women who doesn't have "ideal shape as per society standards", a lady who dresses boldly, and so on? 

Then comes those Typical wife jokes, which slots women as nagging, dominating, and men as the helpless person controlled by wife, such as "I am scared of my home minister, you know what I mean." 

I do not deny that I haven't laughed at such jokes with them in the past. But I regret it, especially in the past few months, since many have started talking openly about gender equality and sexual harassment.

Humor is part of our life. It brightens anyone's day, and when we laugh at ourselves, it gives us immense confidence. Many use humor to talk about our country's socio-political situation, to bring the change we all look forward and make a difference. But the greatest challenge of being humorous is choosing the right words and cracking a joke without hurting the sentiments of any section of the society.

When in the form of a joke, such misogynistic language is used, it reinforces the gender stereotypes in society. In this 21st century, describing women as hysterical, incapable, or body-shaming is not funny anymore.

Making fun of the husband if he cooks and shaming her for "letting" him cook is very common. If common sense prevails on you, you would realize that cooking is not a gender-specific role. It's a life skill that everyone, including men, should learn. More and more women are learning to drive these days, and it's their right to drive safely on the road and choose the speed at which we want to drive. Cracking a joke at their speed is not even remotely funny.

Often the individual doesn't realize that this kind of joke could offend someone. It is deeply rooted in our society. It's time we stop normalizing the sexist humor. When someone cracks such jokes, ask then, "Sorry, could you please explain the joke? I didn't understand" or give a cold reaction. There is nothing worst than a joke losing its steam.

You will hear a lot of comments like, "You don't have a sense of humor." Be equipped with a comeback for such people. Understand that sexism is not a joke, be it for a man or woman. For sure there can be humor without hinting at body shaming, gender inequality, and vulgarity. A significant start is by being the change you want to see. Unless we speak up and break the silence in calling out the tasteless humor, sexism will continue to be omnipresent!