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A study of mothers-in-law by Pamela
Cotterill found that "they tended not to be upset by jokes because they seemed so far fetched they couldn't apply to them, but they didn't find them funny". Cotterill also found that daughters-in-law did not find them funny either, largely because they saw that one
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frequently insults her son-in-law Ralph by making jokes about his weight, telling Alice about other men who have courted her before she married Ralph in front of him and saying things that make him mad enough that he shouts at her to get out of the
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to be unsuitable for her daughter (or daughter-in-law unsuitable for her son), and usually includes the stereotype that mothers-in-law are generally rude, overbearing, obnoxious, and/or unattractive.
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borough where, in 2010, a workshop leaflet called "Cultural
Awareness: General Problems" advised against using them. The leaflet states that "mother-in-law jokes, as well as offensively
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says that one cannot be happy while one's mother-in-law is still alive. Most of the mother-in-law jokes are easily translatable to other languages and are easily understandable in most
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is a witch who is not happy with the decision of her daughter to marry a normal human, and often uses her magic to cause trouble for him.
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Mothers and
Daughters-in-Law: A Study of Intergenerational Relationships Between Family Women. Staffordshire Polytechnic, 1989
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Luisa
Dillner: Mothers-in-law are lovely, in their place. Their own place, that is - Commentators - Voices - The Independent
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46:(the mother of one's spouse) are a mainstay of comedy. The humour is based on the premise that the average
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in their own right, can also be seen as offensive on the grounds that they disrespect elders or parents."
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The stereotype is often portrayed on film and in popular entertainment. Some examples include:
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The jokes are considered offensive by some. A widely reported case is that of the
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Council denies ban on mother-in-law jokes (From Times Series)
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Breger, Dave. How to Draw and Sell
Cartoons. Putnam, 1966.
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is sometimes referred to as "mother-in-law's tongue".
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