“I Hear No Men Talking About It”Male Stand-Up Comedians on Abortion

Abstract

<p>In his 2023 stand-up special, From Bleak to Dark, comedian Marc Maron wonders why men</p><p>do not address the Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization,</p><p>which ended the constitutional right to abortion in the United States. The question of who</p><p>is, or should be, entitled to take a stand on the right to abortion, is up for debate, but so is</p><p>Maron’s claim that there are “no men talking about it.” Quite a few male comedians have</p><p>presented their – fictitious or real – views on reproductive justice on the stand-up stage, not</p><p>only in their post-Roe shows but also over the course of the past few decades. Stand-up comedy</p><p>is a unique forum for dealing with themes like gendered vulnerability and power relations,</p><p>even exposing views that would be considered offensive or even unlawful outside of the</p><p>comedic context. Narratives produced and reproduced in society are popularized in stand-</p><p>up comedy, and when they reach streaming services like Netflix, they reach huge audiences.</p><p>Seeing stand-up comedians as potential public intellectuals (Kunze and Champion), this</p><p>article explores how groups and communities are constructed and deployed in stand-up</p><p>(Brodie; Chesters), focusing on how US male comedians navigate the social debates on</p><p>the issue of abortion in their stand-up shows. While this article acknowledges that the</p><p>“definition of reproductive justice goes beyond the pro-choice/pro-life debate” (Ross and</p><p>Solinger 9), it will focus specifically on abortion for two reasons. First, extending the</p><p>discussion to parental rights and reproductive justice more generally would require a longer</p><p>discussion than is possible in the scope of this article, and second, focusing on abortion42 Tuula Kolehmainen</p><p>reflects more precisely what is found in the comedic material of male stand-up comedians</p><p>in the United States. Through analyzing a few examples from US comedians, I argue that</p><p>while stand-up comedy on the theme of abortion by men often reinforces patriarchal norms,</p><p>attitudes, and stereotypes, it also provides a platform for contesting them. I also argue that</p><p>this dual function operates through a rhetorical practice that positions men as outsiders.</p><p>While this rhetoric often deems women responsible for both pregnancies and abortions, as</p><p>“public intellectuals,” stand-up comedians have the potential to deconstruct narratives of</p><p>unequal gender relations and related social discussions.</p>