What should you do if your dishwasher breaks down?” The answer: “slap her.” This is a popular joke.
Hilarious, right? Wrong. Anything that legitimises violence against women is not funny, and it’s not acceptable – jokes are no exception.
Jokes about women’s limited place, rights and mental ability have become common. But they have a pernicious effect, allowing ideas of violence, stereotyping and disrespect to fester. That’s why protesting against them is so important. But when they are challenged, the protesters – usually women – are laughed at, or are told that they have no sense of humour. They are told to focus on bigger things. But such jokes are big things, it is a big deal to joke about hitting a woman because she hasn’t done the dishes.
It matters that such stereotypes – that normalise and therefore give implicit acceptance to belittling and violating women – are given a free pass.
Some of the worst examples of such jokes come from figures of authority who belittle domestic violence and rape, and then when challenged by women say that women “didn’t get it” or “it was just a joke”.
During a phone-in show on a UK television channel this month, one caller asked a cleric what he should do if his wife didn’t listen to him. The cleric told him that he should threaten her with divorce or with getting a second wife. He said he should man up and shout louder than her. He also advised him that if he wasn’t in a country where there are laws against domestic violence, then he should slap her a few times. Later he released a video to “apologise” for his remarks, saying he was just joking.
Another British Muslim teacher wrote on his Facebook page lambasting International Women’s Day as “kufr” (disbelief that takes one outside the fold of Islam): “Rape women, beat them black and blue ... Lads I give you the fatwa to do it, dammit.” He explained in a tweet that “Int’l women’s day is great, but starting tomorrow it’s 364 International Men’s Day again, so stick that in your oven and cook it”.
His “fatwa” was followed by the comment that it was just a joke. But we can never, ever joke about rape or physical assault. These are serious issues facing women, and to even consider making sarcastic remarks about women belittles them, causes them pain and can trigger trauma in survivors.
As though the jokes aren’t bad enough, there are apologies. The TV scholar responding to the phone caller said: “I was trying to cheer him up.” The teacher who issued the sarcastic fatwa about rape apologised to the feminists who were offended by his comments saying: “I hope that your offence burns in your heart and causes you to wither and wiggle in rage.” Advocating violence and then showing that you are not advocating violence proves that such humour is just a thin veneer for hatred against women.
Subtle ways of mocking women and then blaming them for not having a sense of humour are common. British prime minister David Cameron told a female MP: “Calm down dear.” What he meant was that women are over-emotional, and therefore should not be taken seriously. Yet again, the justification was that this was just “a humorous remark”. But when it comes to jokes that belittle women, or advocate violence against them, I will absolutely not calm down.
Shelina Zahra Janmohamed is the author of Love in a Headscarf and blogs at www. spirit21.co.uk
Company%20Profile
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Players Selected for La Liga Trials
U18 Age Group
Name: Ahmed Salam (Malaga)
Position: Right Wing
Nationality: Jordanian
Name: Yahia Iraqi (Malaga)
Position: Left Wing
Nationality: Morocco
Name: Mohammed Bouherrafa (Almeria)
Position: Centre-Midfield
Nationality: French
Name: Mohammed Rajeh (Cadiz)
Position: Striker
Nationality: Jordanian
U16 Age Group
Name: Mehdi Elkhamlichi (Malaga)
Position: Lead Striker
Nationality: Morocco
'The Batman'
Stars:Robert Pattinson
Director:Matt Reeves
Rating: 5/5
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
Developer: Treyarch, Raven Software
Publisher: Activision
Console: PlayStation 4 & 5, Windows, Xbox One & Series X/S
Rating: 3.5/5
Company%20Profile
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Cinco in numbers
Dh3.7 million
The estimated cost of Victoria Swarovski’s gem-encrusted Michael Cinco wedding gown
46
The number, in kilograms, that Swarovski’s wedding gown weighed.
1,000
The hours it took to create Cinco’s vermillion petal gown, as seen in his atelier [note, is the one he’s playing with in the corner of a room]
50
How many looks Cinco has created in a new collection to celebrate Ballet Philippines’ 50th birthday
3,000
The hours needed to create the butterfly gown worn by Aishwarya Rai to the 2018 Cannes Film Festival.
1.1 million
The number of followers that Michael Cinco’s Instagram account has garnered.
Thank You for Banking with Us
Director: Laila Abbas
Starring: Yasmine Al Massri, Clara Khoury, Kamel El Basha, Ashraf Barhoum
Rating: 4/5
A%20QUIET%20PLACE
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COMPANY PROFILE
● Company: Bidzi
● Started: 2024
● Founders: Akshay Dosaj and Asif Rashid
● Based: Dubai, UAE
● Industry: M&A
● Funding size: Bootstrapped
● No of employees: Nine
The specs
Engine: 8.0-litre, quad-turbo 16-cylinder
Transmission: 7-speed auto
0-100kmh 2.3 seconds
0-200kmh 5.5 seconds
0-300kmh 11.6 seconds
Power: 1500hp
Torque: 1600Nm
Price: Dh13,400,000
On sale: now
Tree of Hell
Starring: Raed Zeno, Hadi Awada, Dr Mohammad Abdalla
Director: Raed Zeno
Rating: 4/5
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
Company%20profile
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if you go
The flights
Emirates flies to Delhi with fares starting from around Dh760 return, while Etihad fares cost about Dh783 return. From Delhi, there are connecting flights to Lucknow.
Where to stay
It is advisable to stay in Lucknow and make a day trip to Kannauj. A stay at the Lebua Lucknow hotel, a traditional Lucknowi mansion, is recommended. Prices start from Dh300 per night (excluding taxes).
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
The%C2%A0specs%20
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Naga
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Joker: Folie a Deux
Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Lady Gaga, Brendan Gleeson
Director: Todd Phillips
Rating: 2/5
The struggle is on for active managers
David Einhorn closed out 2018 with his biggest annual loss ever for the 22-year-old Greenlight Capital.
The firm’s main hedge fund fell 9 per cent in December, extending this year’s decline to 34 percent, according to an investor update viewed by Bloomberg.
Greenlight posted some of the industry’s best returns in its early years, but has stumbled since losing more than 20 per cent in 2015.
Other value-investing managers have also struggled, as a decade of historically low interest rates and the rise of passive investing and quant trading pushed growth stocks past their inexpensive brethren. Three Bays Capital and SPO Partners & Co., which sought to make wagers on undervalued stocks, closed in 2018. Mr Einhorn has repeatedly expressed his frustration with the poor performance this year, while remaining steadfast in his commitment to value investing.
Greenlight, which posted gains only in May and October, underperformed both the broader market and its peers in 2018. The S&P 500 Index dropped 4.4 per cent, including dividends, while the HFRX Global Hedge Fund Index, an early indicator of industry performance, fell 7 per cent through December. 28.
At the start of the year, Greenlight managed $6.3 billion in assets, according to a regulatory filing. By May, the firm was down to $5.5bn.