Jim Jefferies Wants to keep Women from having guns

Comedian Jim Jefferies has been making a bit of a splash in the United States by putting together a misleading rant against the right to bear arms in the U.S.  Jefferies does not want women to have guns.  He says that he does not want anyone to have guns, but then he is much bigger and stronger than most women, so perhaps he does not mind being disarmed, as long as women are disarmed as well.  A general prohibition on guns always favors those who are bigger, stronger and younger.

Jefferies does not just rant about guns, he rants about women.  That is the gist of this article from Australia about one of his comedy routines.  From smh.com:

I had no idea that Jefferies, whose show is listed as one of the top 10 acts to see in this year's Melbourne International Comedy Festival, was such a misogynist.

(snip)

Violence against women exists on a spectrum: at one end there are misogynist attitudes, which Jefferies champions. His jokes against women were delivered with passion and conviction, and sections of the crowd consumed them like hungry wolves. These jokes made me feel uncomfortable and angry because they are being told against the backdrop of a society that systematically denigrates women.

It is has become a stereotype that those who want others disarmed are motivated by fear of their own ability to control themselves.  Others have said that disarmists fear the idea of an armed victim.

The Australian reviewer is not the only one to see the nasty nature of Jeffries misogyny.  From thequardian.com:

There's nothing wrong, of course, with off-colour comedy. But tonight, Jefferies isn't good enough to redeem the standard-issue Madeleine McCann gags and graphic misogyny. A Jerry Sadowitz or Doug Stanhope creates a persona to contextualise those jokes, or offsets the cynicism with linguistic or comic ability. Jefferies is a bland phrase-maker and a so-so joke-writer, who says of one "fat" admirer, "She was the type of girl who might have a personality, but – who cares?", then pauses for a laugh.

The image of Jeffries as an angry misogynist makes his passionate desire to disarm women more easily understandable.

©2015 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice is included.
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