Mother-in-law joke

Last updated
A doctor informs his patient's mother-in-law that he may need to resort to tapping - she misunderstands him as meaning tapping alcohol. Wood engraving by Charles Keene, 1880. A doctor informs his patient's mother-in-law that he may nee Wellcome V0011410.jpg
A doctor informs his patient's mother-in-law that he may need to resort to tapping – she misunderstands him as meaning tapping alcohol. Wood engraving by Charles Keene, 1880.

Humour and jokes about one's mother-in-law (the mother of one's spouse) are a mainstay of comedy. The humour is based on the premise that the average mother-in-law often considers her son-in-law to be unsuitable for her daughter (or daughter-in-law unsuitable for her son), and usually includes the stereotype that mothers-in-law are generally rude, overbearing, obnoxious, and/or unattractive. [1]

Contents

British comedians such as Les Dawson and Jim Davidson have often used them, and many television sitcoms have featured stereotypical mothers-in-law.

There is evidence that this joke dates back to Roman times: Satire VI by Juvenal says that one cannot be happy while one's mother-in-law is still alive. [1] Most of the mother-in-law jokes are easily translatable to other languages and are easily understandable in most European cultures.

In a book on cartooning written by Dave Breger, the author lists a series of "tired gags", and gives a suggestion on how to exploit them. In his illustration, Breger and his wife go to a museum and see a Tyrannosaurus skeleton. Mrs. Breger says, "And no funny remarks, please, about that Mother called or something..." [2]

A study of mothers-in-law by Pamela Cotterill found that "they tended not to be upset by jokes because they seemed so far fetched they couldn't apply to them, but they didn't find them funny". Cotterill also found that daughters-in-law did not find them funny either, largely because they saw that one day the jokes could be applied to them. [1] [3]

The jokes are considered offensive by some. A widely reported case is that of the London borough where, in 2010, a workshop leaflet called "Cultural Awareness: General Problems" advised against using them. The leaflet states that "mother-in-law jokes, as well as offensively sexist in their own right, can also be seen as offensive on the grounds that they disrespect elders or parents." [4] [5]

Portrayals

The stereotype is often portrayed on film and in popular entertainment. Some examples include:

Other

The plant Dracaena trifasciata is sometimes referred to as "mother-in-law's tongue".

See also

Related Research Articles

<i>The Flintstones</i> American animated sitcom

The Flintstones is an American animated sitcom produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions, which takes place in a romanticized Stone Age setting and follows the titular family, the Flintstones, and their next-door neighbors, the Rubbles. It was originally broadcast on ABC from September 30, 1960, to April 1, 1966, and was the first animated series with a prime-time slot on television.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Double entendre</span> Wording that is devised to be understood in two ways

A double entendre is a figure of speech or a particular way of wording that is devised to have a double meaning, of which one is typically obvious, whereas the other often conveys a message that would be too socially awkward, sexually suggestive, or offensive to state directly.

<i>Are You Being Served?</i> British TV sitcom (1972–1985)

Are You Being Served? is a British television sitcom that was broadcast from 1972–1985. It was created and written by David Croft, who also served as executive producer and director, and Jeremy Lloyd. Michael Knowles and John Chapman also wrote certain episodes. Produced by the BBC, the series starred Mollie Sugden, Trevor Bannister, Frank Thornton, John Inman, Wendy Richard, Arthur Brough, Nicholas Smith, Larry Martyn, Harold Bennett and Arthur English.

<i>The Dick Van Dyke Show</i> American television sitcom (1961–1966)

The Dick Van Dyke Show is an American television sitcom created by Carl Reiner that initially aired on CBS from October 3, 1961, to June 1, 1966, with a total of 158 half-hour episodes spanning five seasons. It was produced by Calvada Productions in association with the CBS Television Network, and was shot at Desilu Studios. Other producers included Bill Persky and Sam Denoff. The music for the show's theme song was written by Earle Hagen.

Blonde jokes are a joke cycle based on a stereotype of a dumb blonde woman.

<i>The Honeymooners</i> American sitcom

The Honeymooners is an American television sitcom which originally aired from 1955 to 1956, created by and starring Jackie Gleason, and based on a recurring comedy sketch of the same name that had been part of Gleason's variety show. It follows the lives of New York City bus driver Ralph Kramden (Gleason), his wife Alice, Ralph's best friend Ed Norton and Ed's wife Trixie as they get involved with various schemes in their day-to-day living.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fred Flintstone</span> Character from The Flintstones

Fred Flintstone is the main character of the animated sitcom The Flintstones, which aired during prime-time on ABC during the original series' run from 1960 to 1966. Fred is the husband of Wilma Flintstone and father of Pebbles Flintstone and together the family live in their homely cave in the town of Bedrock. His best friend is his next door neighbor, Barney, who has a wife named Betty.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Laugh track</span> Recorded laughter in broadcast comedy show

A laugh track is an audio recording consisting of laughter usually used as a separate soundtrack for comedy productions. The laugh track may contain live audience reactions or artificial laughter made to be inserted into the show, or a combination of the two. The use of canned laughter to "sweeten" the laugh track was pioneered by American sound engineer Charles "Charley" Douglass.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ethnic joke</span> Joke based on assumptions about a specific ethnic group

An ethnic joke is a remark aiming at humor relating to an ethnic, racial or cultural group, often referring to an ethnic stereotype of the group in question for its punchline.

Mad About You is an American television sitcom starring Paul Reiser and Helen Hunt as a married couple in New York City. It initially aired on NBC from September 23, 1992, to May 24, 1999, winning numerous awards including four Golden Globe Awards and twelve Primetime Emmy Awards. On March 6, 2019, a limited season 8 revival was picked up by Spectrum Originals for 12 episodes.

<i>You Rang, MLord?</i> British TV sitcom (BBC1, 1988–93)

You Rang, M'Lord? is a BBC television sitcom written by Jimmy Perry and David Croft, the creators of Dad's Army. It was broadcast between 1990 and 1993 on the BBC. The show was set in the house of an aristocratic family in the 1920s, contrasting the upper-class family and their servants in a house in London, along the same lines as the drama Upstairs, Downstairs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">British humour</span>

British humour carries a strong element of satire aimed at the absurdity of everyday life. Common themes include sarcasm, tongue-in-cheek, banter, insults, self-deprecation, taboo subjects, puns, innuendo, wit, and the British class system. These are often accompanied by a deadpan delivery which is present throughout the British sense of humour. It may be used to bury emotions in a way that seems unkind in the eyes of other cultures. Jokes are told about everything and almost no subject is off-limits, though a lack of subtlety when discussing controversial issues is sometimes considered insensitive. Many British comedy series have become successful internationally, serving as a representation of British culture to overseas audiences.

<i>Kingswood Country</i> Australian television sitcom (1980-1984)

Kingswood Country is an Australian sitcom that was broadcast on the Seven Network from 1980 to 1984. It was created by Gary Reilly and Tony Sattler and produced by their production company, RS Productions. The series starred Ross Higgins, Judi Farr, Peter Fisher, Laurel McGowan and Lex Marinos, and was a spin-off from a series of sketches on the comedy sketch series The Naked Vicar Show.

Ethel Mae Mertz , played by Vivian Vance, is one of the four main fictional characters in the highly popular 1950s American television sitcom I Love Lucy. Ethel is the middle-aged landlady of the main character, Lucy Ricardo, played by Lucille Ball. Ethel was most likely born about 1905, and was raised in Albuquerque, New Mexico. She is married to Fred Mertz, played by William Frawley, with whom she had a career in vaudeville. The two female characters are close friends, habitually scheming together; Ethel is generally the voice of reason as a counterpart to Lucy's harebrained ideas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Verna Felton</span> American actress (1890–1966)

Verna Arline Felton was an American actress who provided voices for numerous Disney animated films.

<i>Extras</i> (TV series) British TV sitcom (2005–2007)

Extras is a British sitcom about extras working in television, film, and theatre. The series was co-produced by the BBC and HBO, and was written and directed by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant, both of whom starred in it. Extras follows the lives of Andy Millman (Gervais), his friend Maggie Jacobs and Andy's substandard agent and part-time retail employee Darren Lamb (Merchant) as Millman muddles through life as an anonymous "background performer" who eventually finds success as a B-list sitcom star.

<i>The 5 Mrs. Buchanans</i> American TV series or program

The 5 Mrs. Buchanans is an American television sitcom that aired on CBS from September 24, 1994 to March 25, 1995. Set in the fictional town of Mercy, Indiana, the show centers on the small-town misadventures of four diverse women with one thing in common: their loathing for their monster of a mother-in-law.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Military humor</span>

Military humor is humor based on stereotypes of military life. Military humor portrays a wide range of characters and situations in the armed forces. It comes in a wide array of cultures and tastes, making use of burlesque, cartoons, comic strips, double entendre, exaggeration, jokes, parody, gallows humor, pranks, ridicule and sarcasm.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ethel Owen</span> American actress (1893–1997)

Ethel Owen was an American actress with a lengthy career on stage as well as radio and television. In her early sixties, during the mid-1950s, she had a memorable recurring TV role on The Honeymooners, playing Mrs. Gibson, Ralph Kramden's sharp-tongued, interfering mother-in-law.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Luisa Dillner: Mothers-in-law are lovely, in their place. Their own place, that is - Commentators - Voices - The Independent
  2. Breger, Dave. How to Draw and Sell Cartoons. Putnam, 1966. ISBN   0399104240
  3. Mothers and Daughters-in-Law: A Study of Intergenerational Relationships Between Family Women. Staffordshire Polytechnic, 1989
  4. Council denies ban on mother-in-law jokes (From Times Series)
  5. Council outlaws mother-in-law jokes - Telegraph