纽约时报 杨笠.docx

CanMeninChinaTakeaJoke?WomenDoingStand-UpHaveTheirDoubts.

ComedyhasbecomeawayforwomentoskewerChina’sgenderinequality.Somemenaren’thappyaboutit.

OnthelistoftopicsbestavoidedbyChina’scomedians,someareobvious.Politics.TheChinesemilitary.

Nowadd:Men’sfragileegos.

That,atleast,wasthemessagesentthismonth,whenamajore-commerceplatformabruptlyendedapartnershipwithChina’smostprominentfemalestand-upcomic.Thecompanywascavingtopressurefrommenonsocialmediawhodescribedthecomedian,YangLi,asaman-hatingwitch.

Speakingupforwomen’srightsisincreasinglysensitiveinChina,andthestand-upstageisthelatestbattleground.GrowingnumbersofwomenlikeMs.Yangarespeakingoutabout—andlaughingat—theinjusticestheyface.Ontwohugelypopularstand-upshowsthisfall,womenwereamongthebreakoutstars,thankstopunchlinesaboutthedifficultyoffindingagoodpartner,ormen’sfearoftalkingaboutmenstruation.

Butabacklashhasemerged,asmenbalkatbeingthebuttofthejoke.Theyhaveattackedthecomicsonsocialmedia;Ms.Yanghasdescribedreceivingthreatsofviolence.Thewomen’snewvisibilitycanalsobeeasilyerased.Notlongafterthee-commercecompany,JD.com,droppedMs.Yang,itdeletedpostsonitsofficialsocialmediaaccountfeaturingtwootherfemalecomedians.

Thebattleoverwomen’sjokesreflectsthebroaderparadoxoffeminisminChina.Ontheonehand,feministrhetoricismorewidespreadthaneverbefore,withonce-nichediscussionsofgenderinequalitynowairedopenly.Buttheforcestryingtosuppressthatrhetoricarealsogrowing,encouragedbyagovernmentthathasleditsowncrusadeagainstfeministactivismandpushedwomen?\otowardtraditionalroles.

On,anationalisticcommentarysite,an?\oeditorial?declared:“ThefewerdivisivesymbolslikeYangLi,thebetter.”

EvenbeforetheJD.comcontroversyerupted,Ms.Yang,32,had