Ardy, you do make a very good point about the definition of humor.

However, I think you missed the writer's ultimate goal... if you read the piece I cited, I think it will be a little more clear.

I could be wrong, but I am pretty sure that what the root cause of her apparent "dimness", and why her claim that "making fun of women" is "an attempt at humor" has missed its mark, can be spelled out in two words: Political Agenda.

Or, political bias; take your pick.

I think the relevant quote, from the response I cited, says it all:
Quote
Why did Allen, by accounts a good reporter on religion in a previous life, write this silly piece? It's tempting to say she wrote it because she exemplifies the dimness and illogicality she describes -- after all, this is a woman who cheerfully claims not to be able to add much beyond 2+2. But I suspect that Allen, who works for the right-wing anti-feminist Independent Women's Forum, is just annoyed that so many educated middle-class women are cultural, social and political moderates and liberals. Democrats, in other words.


The following paragraph gives further support to that idea, but I didn't want to go over the 'limit', so you'll just have to read it.

I was about to say that from someone else with a true intent at humor, it might be funny... but after reading it I just can't say that... not when her actual conclusion is that women ought to
Originally Posted by Charlotte Allen
revel in the things most important to life at which nearly all of us excel: tenderness toward children and men and the weak and the ability to make a house a home.
(...)
Then we could shriek and swoon and gossip and read chick lit to our hearts' content and not mind the fact that way down deep, we are . . . kind of dim.

There is no amount of editing that can correct the non sequiturs in logic, there is no dressing that can be applied to actually make it funny, without changing the message given by the above quote.

And then she wouldn't have written it.

And it wouldn't be the same article.

And we wouldn't need to discuss it.

Castigat Ridendo Mores
(laughter succeeds where lecturing fails)

"Those who will risk nothing, risk everything"