Say NO to sexism: we owe it to our daughters

(Image : seeitsayitstopit.com via Google)

Ten days ago I had no idea who Dapper Laughs was. If the name still means nothing to you, here’s a quick synopsis: “comedian” whose show Dapper Laughs: On The Pull has just been decommissioned by ITV2 (back slaps all round for the people who commissioned it in the first place!) for being, well, a misogynistic pile of sexist drivel, basically. Act or not, and there’s quite damning evidence to suggest it’s the latter, his repugnant brand of “comedy” has no place in a progressive society that values its female inhabitants.

Well, rejoice, womenfolk, victory is ours: Dapper Laughs is no more. Don’t overdo the champagne just yet: we may have won this battle but the war is far from over. Just because I’m, erm, inquisitive, I decided to have a wee gander at Dapper Laughs’ Twitter page. 34.7K favourites. My initial thought was, “Jesus, you’re not very discerning,” quickly followed by, “I bet this loser favourites every last bit of praise he gets.” I was right, he does. So I investigated further. I wish I hadn’t. Mucho depressivo.

What follows are some of the more congratulatory tweets he received:

Downloaded @dapperlaughs Christmas Album. Funniest thing I’ve heard for ages. It got me #ProperMoist#FuckTheDoGooders

Why would anyone slate @dapperlaughs not only is he doing amazing charity work he is gorgeous.

I’m a woman, i watch dapper laughs show every week, and I love it, he’s a babe! Grow a sense of humour!

@dapperlaughs #Haters go back to your cave Bought the T, tickets downloaded the album #Charity #Funnyas #Fitas

calm the fuck down and go get @dapperlaughs album that way your helping the homeless and you get the comedy, some people have no humour

Really?! Just chill out and loosen up a people, it is just a bit of banter! Don’t like it? Dont buy/watch it!

Dispiriting, aren’t they? I can’t even blame them on spotty, pre-pubescent boys, who’ve barely talked to a girl, let alone had their first girlfriend. Although they’re there in their dozens. Nor are they the work of beer-swilling, groin-grabbing “lads”, still mourning the demise of Nuts magazine. No siree, though I suspect they’re there in their abundance if you look hard enough. No. All of the above were written by girls. Imagine that. Hoards of young women, sitting at home, composing fawning panegyrics in honour of their hero, a man whose brand of humour consists of telling a female audience member that “she’s gagging for a rape.” WTF? I mean, how do you deal with that?

What makes the above series of tweets all the more depressing is that some of them were directed at a female journalist who dared to criticise Dapper Laughs on Twitter. So much for the sisterhood, eh? Worryingly, they also appear to insinuate that being easy on the eye (their opinion, NOT mine) somehow absolves you from any kind of wrongdoing. Not to mention that any dissenting voices are accused of sense of humour bypasses. Honestly, it’s all I can do to stop myself banging my head against the wall.

I don’t know about you but I’m funny. Well funny. I’ve seen what I write, I’ve heard what I say: funny, funny, funny! Rape isn’t funny. Joking about rape isn’t funny. Supporting someone who does either: EXTREMELY UNFUNNY.  I’ve never thought of myself as particularly prudish (my native language is a charmingly idiosyncratic blend of English and Swearing and we all know that prudes don’t swear. They just don’t) but if I saw that my daughter had tweeted some tragic neanderthal that she was #propermoist (his catchphrase), I’d be beside myself.

I was a young girl once (I know, right!). Having fallen into just about every pit imaginable, I know what the pitfalls are. I know what I’ll be preaching to my daughter: don’t shave one of your eyebrows; don’t try to fix bad home dye-jobs with more bad home dye-jobs; don’t walk home alone at 4am every morning (eek); respect yourself; NEVER EVER EVER think of misogyny as being somehow trivial, okay or acceptable. Because it isn’t. It’s downright despicable and, like I said earlier, completely incompatible with a forward-thinking society that appreciates its women.

All is not lost. I’m going to give these misguided little fangirls the benefit of the doubt. Hopefully in time they’ll see the error of their ways. Until then, take heart in the fact that our daughters have role models like Charlie Webster and Jessica Ennis-Hill, two women prepared to put their heads above the parapet in the fight against misogyny, sexism and the objectification of women. But remember, our daughters (and sons) biggest role models are us, their parents. The fight begins at home. Only when we disabuse the plagues of sexism and prejudice will the last laugh be ours.