Is my slip showing? Gender and vulnerability in stand-up comedy

 

What does it mean to be vulnerable? This question comes up quite a bit in comedy. You might hear someone say, “oh, he’s so raw, so vulnerable…” It’s a common form of praise, usually for male comedians.

Former Late Show booker, Eddie Brill, named vulnerability as his favorite quality in a comedian. He seldom, if ever, booked women. Eventually, he was fired for his statements in the now infamous New York Times article. However, the crux of his argument was that good comedians reveal their weaknesses and women just don’t do that.

Mas…Is my slip showing? Gender and vulnerability in stand-up comedy

I Skyped to Peru to discuss racism with high school students

elisewhiteA few weeks ago, my aunt asked me to do a Skype Q&A with her high school students in Peru. She teaches a course on race and racial profiling and she thought it would be interesting to show her class my stand-up comedy dealing with racism then discuss the differences between American and South American racism.

However, the timing could not have been more biting. Just prior to my Skype call, news of yet another black man, Alton Sterling, slaughtered by police officers, began to circulate.

My aunt said to me, “the kids have a hard time understanding American racial profiling, for instance, why do cops target black people?”

Mas…I Skyped to Peru to discuss racism with high school students

Elise @Buttronica Roedenbeck reads Amazon product reviews (video)


Reading is hard. That’s why we’re happy to feature our MiJA, Elise Roedenbeck (she’s @Buttronica on the Twitter), reading customer reviews of Amazon.com products. Now you can sit back, chillax, watch and listen instead of trying to pick out the words, with all those darn letters. Today’s selection includes a dramatic reading of a review shared by the Starship Enterprise’ most festive officer, George Takei.

PREVIOUSLY ON READING REVIEWS ALOUD:

Mas…Elise @Buttronica Roedenbeck reads Amazon product reviews (video)

Watch: Elise Roedenbeck reads ‘Dinosaur Porn’ (Yes, it’s a thing!)


POCHO amiga Elise Roedenbeck (who is sill on our masthead as NYC Bureau Chief Emeritus the fact of which we are periodically required to remind you of as a result of the settlement order, without admitting or denying guilt and/or culpability) explores the steamy sexy world of Dino Porn. These big hunks o’ meat are horny and your scent is just perfect. Elise is @buttronica on the Twitter. Don’t tell T-Rex we were sexting!

Elise Roedenbeck: Top porn search terms by state (video)


Sweet dreams are made of this -- who am I to disagree?
I travel the world and the seven seas. Everybody's looking for something.

Elise Roedenbeck — she’s @buttronica on the Twitter — learned the same lesson when she investigated the top porn search terms broken down by state. Everybody’s looking for something. They’re looking for massage. And cream pie. And cream pie massages. In somebody else’s state, right? Don’t be so sure.

PREVIOUSLY ON STUFF BROKEN DOWN BY STATES:

Mas…Elise Roedenbeck: Top porn search terms by state (video)

Classic Elise @Buttronica Roedenbeck: ‘Mija Weekly Valentine’ (video)


It’s Valentine’s Day with Elise Roedenbeck (AKA @Buttronica on the Twitter) in this 2013 episode of Mija Weekly! Fall in love all over again with drones, skimpy outfits, GOP immigrant-haters and learn the true meaning of Valentine’s Day. And, says Elise, try not to go into a diabetic coma.

Where is Elise now, you ask?

Mas…Classic Elise @Buttronica Roedenbeck: ‘Mija Weekly Valentine’ (video)

That new mammal they discovered in the Andes? Delicious! (video)


It’s called an olinguito. Freakin delicious, too! Elise Roedenbeck reports:

Olinguito, the cute new mammal discovered in the Andes, is nature’s newest little surprise. The small creature, related to the raccoon, looks like a cross between an Ewok and a rat. However, anyone who’s ever lived in the Andes can tell you meat is meat.

Using my connections in the Andean cloud forest meat network, we decided to cook up some critter using my favorite Peruvian recipe, lomo saltado. Except the lomo in this case is mountain rat (a.k.a. olinguito).

Pocho Ocho ways to tell you’re watching ‘Latino ñews’

twocastersIt’s no surprise to us Pochodores — it’s why we started POCHO.COM:

Actual research reveals more and more U.S. Latinos are getting their ñews in Ingles — ñews from respected journalists like brothers Jorge Cooper-Ramos (right), and Anderson Ramos-Cooper (left.)

OK, sometimes Latinos get their ñews from Gustavo Almadovar live in the O.C., but not lately.

Meanwhile, Univision is leading in the July ratings wars with the most viewers under 50, the first time a Spanish-language network topped the charts.

Mas…Pocho Ocho ways to tell you’re watching ‘Latino ñews’

Elise @buttronica Roedenbeck VS the Pope — on Twitter (video)


Our MiJA, Elise @buttronica Roedenbeck, doesn’t want much. She just wants additional followers on the Twitter as part of her plan for worldwide social media domination. Follow Elise to win a small box lunch with individual carafe of wine plus other cool incentives like scribbled notes and video winks (must be over legal drinking age and legal box-eating age in your jurisdiction.) Vegans — ask about the kale-quinoa bowls!

And then comes along Pope Francis (his handle is @pontifex) who is offering PAPAL INDULGENCES on Twitter. Not PayPal, you geeks, but Papal Indulgences from the Holy Father that shorten your stay in the limbo of Purgatory. What’s our MiJA to do?

[What can we say about Elise Roedenbeck, POCHO’s New Jack City Burro Jefe Emeritus, that hasn’t been ruled out by the terms of the negotiated settlement and mutual release of all claims? Just this: She sure likes butter, and it’s “butt-ronica” not “but-tronica.”]

Elise Roedenbeck Filibusters: ‘How To Do the Wendy’ (video)


It’s not easy standing up for women’s rights in Texas, but the heroic filibuster by State Sen. Wendy Davis kept the GOP’s anti-abortion SB5 from passing Tuesday night. Our MiJA, Elise Roedenbeck, learned how to Do the Wendy for the camera. [Disclosure: The settlement agreement approved by the judge means we must stay at least 100 yards away from Ms. Roedenbeck, but we can still remind people that she is POCHO’s New Jack City Burro Jefe, Emeritus.]

Kanye West’s ‘I Am A God’ as read by Elise Roedenbeck (video)


When an important pop culture artifact like a Kanye West CD (or baby) drops, smart pochas y pochos step back from the frenzy and take a dispassionate look at WTF is going on.

That’s why our MiJA, Elise Roedenbeck, at her new gig down there in Miami with Fusion, embarked on a dramatic reading of the West composition I Am A God, from the album Yeezus. (SAFE FOR WORK. ALL LYRICS HAVE BEEN SANITIZED FOR YOUR PROTECTION.)

MiJA Weekly’s Elise Roedenbeck joins new TV network in Miami

Many have you have written in and asked about Elise Roedenbeck’s MiJA WEEKLY video series and why it disappeared.

We have good news and bad news. Bad news first: There will be no more MiJA WEEKLY.

The good news? Important people in the Network Television World were so taken with Elise and MiJA WEEKLY that they stole her away from us and moved her to Miami where she is joining the new ABC/Univision TV network FUSION.

Felicidades to our hermana Elise and “break a leg” as we say in eshow business.

Elise Roedenbeck’s ‘MiJA Weekly’ Tax Day Espectacular 4.15.13 (video)


Happy Tax Day, pochos! This week on MiJA I discuss the near conclusion of back-room negotiations on immigration “reform” and delve deep into the heart of the Internets to discover Barbies of the World. You think Mexican Barbie is bad — Peruvian Barbie comes with an anchor baby (and she’s not the worst of them!)

Mas…Elise Roedenbeck’s ‘MiJA Weekly’ Tax Day Espectacular 4.15.13 (video)