For many years, Saturday Night Live ran a series of skits about a character named "Pat." The premise of each skit was that no one could tell if Pat was male or female, and ingenious plots to determine his or her gender all failed. The humor in these skits is based on the fact that:
A) men have historically had access to most of society's material resources and privileges; consequently, they generally seek to maintain their dominant status.
B) gender identity is so important to our social selves that we can barely interact with anyone without first determining that person's gender.
C) if private property were abolished, there would no longer be powerful interests forcing women into a domestic role.
D) Pat is trying to avoid being classified as a woman, because expressive and instrumental roles may be complementary, but the social rewards for filling them are far from equal.
E) transsexuals are challenging old ideas about the relationship between sex and gender.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The humor in the skits is based on the idea that we place such importance on determining someone's gender that we become obsessed with it, even to the point of absurdity. This speaks to the social significance placed on gender identity in our culture.

For Many Years, Saturday Night Live Ran a Series of Skits