Miranda Hart- Superb Comedienne

[RosieH]

Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo, not lady, never lady.

Woman. Woman. Is it so hard to say?

[SeanMacGabhann]

I was going with wee quinnie's "poetess"

As you well know RosieH

[Sue]

I think Miranda Hart's show is terrible, really weak material.

But I also thought that latest Steve Coogan thing The Trip was unwatchable, and it got rave reviews.

Humour is a funny thing (no pun intended), would be a dull old world if we all laughed at the same things, etc etc etc

[siousxiesue]

RosieH Wrote:

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> Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo, not lady,

> never lady.

>

> Woman. Woman. Is it so hard to say?

Exactly! Lady has so many connotations, and yes David_Carnell, the way language describes us (women) is very important.

[SeanMacGabhann]

And now apparently I'm having an affair with my mist?

All very confusing

[RosieH]

David, that's true if you don't subscribe to Lacan's theory of the signifier and the signified. But I do, to some degree.

And Sean, I apologise, I'm in Christmas party mood. Can't find any mulled wine, but I've cracked open the Ferrero Rocher and in the absence of cracker jokes am making the funnies.

[RosieH]

Wait, wait, what's the mist affair thing?

[SeanMacGabhann]

I don't think the Trip was even billed as a comedy outright anyway - more of a pathos-filled drama with a few amusing bits. I thought it was a thing of beauty

[SeanMacGabhann]

a superfluous "ess" at the end of a word?

albeit with a t as well

[Sue]

SeanMacGabhann Wrote:

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> I don't think the Trip was even billed as a comedy

> outright anyway - more of a pathos-filled drama

xxxxxxxx

It was certainly pathos-filled, but not in a good way :))

[RosieH]

Oh Sean. With an R surely? Now then sir, do not debase a serious discussion of semiotics and gender politics with your unbecoming levity. Tawdry and not a little shameful.

*shakes sad head sadly*

[david_carnell]

Rosie - anyone who cites Lacan in a thread about Miranda Hart wins my vote!

Obviously I think you're wrong, but you know, it's Xmas so I'll retire like a gentleman.

Doh!

[Peckhamgatecrasher]

Searn with an r is over-egging the accent a bit.

*Returns to exciting book about an aviatrix.*

[RosieH]

:)-D

[siousxiesue]

A lawyer told me recently that the term 'executor' as in executor of a will, for a female the term was actually executrix!

[mockney piers]

Lawyers in pedantry shock!!

It from Latin executorum to execute, executor(m), one who executes (literally gets something done) and the -rix suffix is the female form.

Incidentally that's where actor/actress comes from too actrix, or actr?z en espa?ol and actrice en francais from whence we got the word.

Ps no I'm not a lawyer.

To echo Carnelli, there are surely things actually worth worrying about, I'm not sure how eliminating all gender from English will help. English'll be horribly dull when it's all one this and it that won't she ;-)

[RosieH]

Mockney and David, you're both intelligent enough to know that words are imbued with meaning that goes way beyond the thing that is signified.

If we don't say Prime Ministeress, why should we say comedienne?

[huncamunca]

This is obviously a piss take - the clue is the early reference to French & Saunders.

And dont get me started on Ab Fab or that hideous turd fest Gavin & Stacy

The Trip was smug boastful garbage - ideal Guardian reader fodder it seems, but objectively, it was shite.

[Huguenot]

I can't imagine Piersy arguing that words aren't imbued with meaning, but I'd love to see him try :)

I think the argument is that taking away the word doesn't take away the meaning, there are other ways of expressing gender discrimination than getting all het up about words.

Stalin, the crazy little pumpkin (at the risk of Godwin) said ?Death solves all problems - no man, no problem.?. He notoriously attempted this 3,000,000 times and was still unsuccesful.

Thatcher for example was no Prime Ministeress, but she was the Iron Lady. Couldn't keep the gender out of it, it seems.

So taking away the word doesn't take away the problem. It may even make it worse - if changing the word doesn't take away the problem, then you're left with the image of thousands of women scurrying in circles on a pointless errand. Not a great asset to the gender debate.

[RosieH]

So taking away the word doesn't take away the problem. It may even make it worse - if changing the word doesn't take away the problem, then you're left with the image of thousands of women scurrying in circles on a pointless errand. Not a great asset to the gender debate.

What the hell you talking about now fella? I don't follow that comment at all.

My point comes down to this - phrases like "lady doctor" aren't replicated for men (has anyone ever asked for a gentleman doctor - complete with cravat and top hat perhaps?), words like comedienne effectively serve as a diminuative. They're patronising rather than differentiating - the female equivalent of 'man' is 'woman', not 'lady' - it's really simple.

To say there are more important things to worry about - arguably yes - parity on pay isn't due to be heading our way any time in the next 50 years. To say it's not important that an entire gender is patronised on a daily basis, well some would argue fellas, that that's typical of a patriarchal view..!

[Jah Lush]

Yawn..........feck me! What is this? Pseuds Corner?

[RosieH]

Sorry Jah, didn't mean to go over your head...

[Jah Lush]

Cheeky monkey.

[RosieH]

Heh, just messing with you, fella. I've been at the Christmas spirit (brandy in this case).

[SeanMacGabhann]

Messing with you what?