Funny or offensive? The joke that backfired.

What passes for a family-friendly joke these days? According to Greg McIntyre, a magistrate from Toowoomba, it’s something from that age-old genre that makes fun of the smell of a woman’s bodily parts, and on this occasion, a young ‘‘redneck’s’’ inability to distinguish between them.

This ‘joke’ is neither funny, clever nor respectful to the woman – or to women in general.

“A young Toowoomba red neck, let’s call him Mark goes to a local nightclub. He goes in and has a few beers and looks around. He sees a young lady he thinks he might like. After building up as much courage as he can he goes over to her and asks her to dance. She agrees, and they are getting on fine. After a few dances and a few more drinks, he looks her in the eyes and asks “Can I smell your vagina?” she is shocked and disgusted and replies “You certainly cannot!” He then turns to her and says, “Oh then it must be your feet.”

Are we laughing yet, ladies?

Apparently, McIntyre found this joke so amusing that not only did he decide to repeat it but to publish it in a program that was distributed to children and their families at the Toowoomba rugby league grand final. The now former president of the Toowoomba Rugby League, who brags that he is ‘‘next in line to be the chief redneck’’ of Toowoomba, was surprised to learn that not everyone shared his sense of humour. Parents and members of the football community have complained that the joke is crude and sexist, and should not have been included in a publication read by children.

If the sexism does not offend you, the lack of judgment must. What is worse is that, as a magistrate, McIntyre is paid by the taxpayer for his supposed ability to make sound judgments and yet he has displayed an extraordinary lack of insight.

Adair Donaldson, who runs workshops with NRL football players on their off-field behaviour, says jokes like these are totally inappropriate.

‘‘You expect inappropriate, sexist jokes like these to come out of the mouth of Sam Newman. You don’t expect sexist jokes from someone in a senior position in a publication being distributed to families. If my 10-year-old boys had read that joke and repeated it to their mother or at school there would be hell to pay.’’

Of course, there will be others who will see this drama as a storm in a teacup. But the problem is that racist, sexist or homophobic jokes are usually just the tip of the iceberg and point to deeper structural and cultural problems. The question in this instance is which of the cultures that McIntyre belongs to gave rise to this joke.

It would be both simple and predictable to suggest this sort of joke is just typical of footballers’ attitudes. But the fact that McIntyre – who has not apologised for the joke – is a magistrate is telling  and should not be overlooked. In many ways, the legal fraternity, and the old boys club it is founded on, is still one of the strongest bastions of sexism and misogyny.

Unlike footballers, who are often thought of as poorly educated and working class, well-heeled and well-educated lawyers are supposed to sit at the opposite end of the class spectrum. But being better educated does not necessarily mean being more tolerant, ethical or respectful.

Sexist attitudes and behaviours can be found in every class, culture and community, although the sexism often plays out and appears differently. A sexist lawyer might not drive around in a ute honking their horn at attractive women, but they might still share sexist jokes over scotch or discriminate over who they promote to the boardroom. While it is shocking that McIntyre went so far as to publish the joke, the truth is that jokes like these are not uncommon in bars and establishments frequented by the legal fraternity.

What has been pleasing in this instance is the outrage and vocal disapproval from male representatives of the football clubs. In recent years, the various clubs have been working hard to clean up their image and to educate their players on respectful attitudes towards women. No doubt there is still a way to go, but the strong disapproval expressed by many men in the game is encouraging

Like the footballers, I suspect that certain lawyers and magistrates might benefit from a course in respect for women.

A version of this piece was first published by Fairfax.

Did he cross the line? Where do you draw the line between having a laugh and causing offence?