Sexist Men Can't Escape This Woman's Scathingly Brilliant Thread On Twitter About Misogyny In Humor

Some jokes land as harmless banter, and others reveal a lot more than the person telling them probably meant to show. That is exactly why Emrazz, known online as the Feminist Next Door, sparked such a huge reaction with her thread about misogyny hiding inside so-called edgy humor.

Her posts pushed back on the way sexist jokes get excused, repeated, and even celebrated by men who should know better. The thread quickly spread across Twitter, drawing in plenty of reactions from people who saw the pattern immediately and others who were not so comfortable being called out.

The conversation only got bigger from there, and the replies made the whole thing even more revealing.

Emrazz, aka the Feminist Next Door, started a viral discussion on Twitter about how men utilize "edgy" jokes to disseminate their misogynistic views.

Twitter / @emrazz emrazz

She expresses disappointment at how several men, rather than calling out such behavior, are eager to participate in dehumanizing women.

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Talking about, "king willing to say what we're all thinking."

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Emrazz turns her attention to men who, despite knowing that such dehumanizing comparisons are wrong, refuse to speak against them just so that they can feel included.

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It also echoes the dilemma from the woman who didn’t speak up about her best friend’s hurtful comments on her partner.

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Apparently, misogyny isn't only found in the "old boys' club"; it is very much alive and well among younger men.

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You can feel the anger in her words.

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The original tweet from Emrazz is attracting more and more attention each day.

Twitter / @emrazz emrazz

Deep question...

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Ariane, a comedy writer, was asked to give her opinion on the boundaries of humor and when it's appropriate to consider censoring jokes.

From her point of view, we should be careful not to cross the line between humor and genuinely dangerous comments. However, we should not overly restrict our ability to have fun, so long as we aren't endangering anyone.

That answer set up the bigger question at the center of the thread.

Another thing we were curious about was how someone should respond if their jokes offended another person, both online and offline. In her words:

Since the spring of 2009, the New Yorker (the Feminist Next Door) has been tweeting about gender-related problems in society. Since then, she's grown her Twitter following to 228k and her Instagram following to 10.4k people, where she reposts her most noteworthy tweets.

Emrazz adds that her greatest adversary is misogyny, and her objective is to eliminate it in every form p...[truncated]

Below are some of the comments made by Twitter users in response to the viral thread by Emrazz.

cosmyra64 This is where the replies start piling up. skyblueeyes65 juliehampton20 LifesABeach6786 Mckenzi79691567

"Stopping misogyny has to start with young children..."

peacockblu

Australian medical scientist Hilda Bastian explains in an essay how comedy can either be harmful or a catalyst for positive change, depending on how it is used.

Humor can be used to create a quick bridge between people. But it can also reinforce outgroups’ otherness and relatively marginal social status, she says.

In a study published in the Personality and Social Psychology Review (PSPR) journal, researchers Thomas Ford and Mark Ferguson found that comedy does not engender hostility toward the group being ridiculed; rather, it reinforces already existing preconceptions.

In a nutshell, this means that when people make sexist jokes about women without facing consequences, those with misogynistic views may see it as a sign that their opinions are accepted by society.

The joke tellers don’t themselves have to be actively misogynist to end up encouraging others to be, Hilda explains.

While referencing another of Ford's studies, she argues that:

Sexist humor’s impact may also reduce people’s willingness to take action against discrimination. Men who were already high in hostile sexism were less likely to express support for actions that would improve gender equality after hearing sexist rather than neutral jokes. Even if that only meant they were more willing ‘to show their hand,’ it’s not reassuring.feminemi1y SeeMack_ie jmwaib

"Only broken people do this."

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Comedy is a powerful and often underrated tool to express oneself. But as we've seen, it can also be used as a weapon to harm others.

When does humor cross the line? What are your thoughts on censoring jokes or comedians who use their platform to hurt people with what they say? Let us know in the comments!

That debate is not going away anytime soon.

For more “edgy” behavior turned personal, read how a wife confronted her husband’s disrespectful friend.