ABSTRACT
Norms of female verbal socialization invalidate their cognitions of the adjacent sex and squelch their imaginative play caricaturing them. An intergroup approach suggests that analysis of gender socialization lacks political clout because its focus on roles ignores the institutional structures within which roles exist. The comic artist legitimately and deliberately provokes response and when the audience gets it, she gets what she deserves. Few women are yet socialized to such single mindedness of purpose and behaviors to support it, especially a purpose that involves exposing one's self to critical audiences of strangers as if they were close associates. It is particularly hard to go on stage as a standup following a man who has done a line of anti-woman material. Not only does dueling easily divert attention from their performance, it looks bad, i.e., too obviously aggressive. Feminist humor uses women’s oppression by the patriarchy as a central theme.
