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Here are my thoughts. I can say wholeheartedly that I don’t mean to offend anyone with this post because I know it is a SUPER touchy subject, which is exactly why I think we should be talking about it. With that said, I personally (me, Emerald Pellot, the individual person) believe rape jokes CAN be funny. Mostly because I believe in comedy as an art form and I believe it can do really positive things. (Remember, Patch Adams, guys? Laughter is the best medicine!)
Books, movies, and film don’t ignore sensitive and heavy subjects, so why should comedy? Just because comedy is supposed to be funny doesn’t mean that bringing up certain subjects is making light of them or undermining how important they are. There’s a reason why comedy and tragedy were some of the first and most basic forms of high art.
I believe that “making fun” of things can help point out social hypocrisy, contradictions, and negative attitudes in a way that is humorous, but can also force you to really think critically. Teen suicide, bullying, murder and alienation aren’t funny, but in the movie Heathers they’re completely funny. The movie is a satire on these topics and it would help anyone think harder about the superficial ways we deal with teens who feel like outsiders.
I am a person of color and I’ve laughed at plenty of “racial” jokes, made by people who aren’t of my own race about my own race, because they were articulated in a way that was intelligent and funny. There is a difference between being mean and being funny. Although, you can think of being funny as a more constructive way of being “mean” because remember, you’re always laughing AT something. It’s a form of mockery and if you’re mocking bad, atrocious behavior then you’re actually being critical of that behavior and pointing out the ways that it is bad. Being mean is essentially just an attack with words. It’s just hating on something and some comedians (who aren’t funny or smart) will use rape, race, class or gender as a punchline. Maybe you’ve heard heard this joke: “What do you tell a women with two black eyes? Nothing, you already told her twice.”
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That? Well, that’s not good comedy. It’s mean, sexist, and just not clever because the punchline is essentially just that women are idiots who need to be put in their place with violence. But the thing is that good comedy–smart, thought-provoking comedy–can transcend taking cheap shots by dealing with heavy topics in a way that makes us think and laugh at the same time. Good comedians can talk about their own personal prejudices in a way that points out why they’re wrong and make you question your own personal prejudices, all while making you giggle.
Some people hear the word “rape” and get really upset. Well, duh, rape is really upsetting. It’s one of those trigger words that stirs fury because it is one of the most awful things anyone can go through, and it happens everyday. However, I do think it’s important to hear the whole joke, to hear the whole story, before deciding that someone was making a hurtful or hateful statement. Telling a joke where rape is a part of the story doesn’t mean the person is condoning rape as a positive behavior. Just like singers, painters, writers, there are some good comedians and some bad comedians and some of them will say offensive things just to piss you off because it gets them a response. Others though, are trying to make us think and working on helping heal wounds and stop stereotypes.
But–BUT–big but, as a public figure (and that means whether you are Tweeting, on stage or on TV) it isn’t up to you to decide what is offensive. When you make the choice to speak about a heavy topic, intelligently or not, you’re inviting the possibility that some people will get offended. You don’t get to decide how what you say affects someone emotionally or politically. If you do offend someone, you don’t get to make them feel bad about being offended either. I know that I’ve offended some of the readers on Gurl by taking a pro-choice stance. That’s not going to stop me from discussing abortions, but it’s not going to make me berate them into agreeing with me either.
We talk about heavy subjects to get people riled up and talking. If you’re offended by what I say I want to hear ALL about it!
So ARE you offended? Do rape jokes rub you the wrong way? Let us know in the comments!
Um, no. My mum was the victim of sexual abuse which included rape. Whilst I’m at it, racist jokes, holocaust jokes, sexual jokes and sexist jokes are also included in the ‘not funny’ list. Sorry folks, I”m boring but respectful.
A joke about rape, outright, is NEVER funny. It is an extremely serious thing, and is highly traumatic to victims. Nothing should ever glorify the act of rape. You don’t have to be a feminist to know that. Trust me, I’m very far from what anyone would consider “feminist” (very abnormal for this site, I know). I could best be described as immensely conservative. But I do plan to enter into the field of criminology, and will hopefully help get justice for rape victims. I would not want rape to ever be considered acceptable, because it it simply isn’t. It’s horrific. However, when outlined in satirical literature (which points out, makes fun of, and ultimately condemns the act) it can be entertaining, without glorifying the act. Writers like Voltaire, particularly in “Candide”, in which Cunegonde, the primary female character, is raped and later forced into sex-slavery, have written many humorous pieces on similarly serious problems. These literary works, however, were designed to highlight absurdity with absurdity. They point out the flaws in society with blatant sarcasm, and are often surprisingly effective in fixing them. They get people thinking about issues in new ways, and this is often key to solving them.
Joking about rape is about as funny as cancer. As in, it’s not. We live in a rape culture. 1 in 4 women and 1 in 33 men will be raped in their lifetime. You can point out the horror of rape without joking about it. Making light of sexual assault is never justified and what Daniel Tosh did was wrong. Comedy is not some sacred medium where everything is funny and protected. What if Justin Beiber wrote a song about how great rape is? Would that be okay? Daniel Tosh used intimidation and thinly veiled threats to put a woman in her place. I have never heard a joke about rape that was funny. Because rape is never funny. You can’t tell a joke that demeans roughly 25% of your target audience and expect applause. Just like you can’t really write an article about how “some” rape jokes can be funny (as long as they make fun of the trauma instead of the traumatizers) on a site that is supposed to empower women and expect people (especially rape victims) not to be appalled. Which I am, to briefly sum up this scattered comment. I am appalled. And just about in tears because one more person is standing up for and defending a jerk’s choice to laugh about rape. And I understand that you meant for this to defend “anti-rape” jokes but they don’t exist.
Mr.S Rape isn’t funny!
:0 :O
Ch1: Rape is NOT funny!!!!!!!!!
i think that saying rape jokes are funny just makes people think that rape is just a joke. coming from somebody who has been raped, its NOT funny! there isnt one tiny aspect of it that humpr can come from! it hurts, both physically and emotionally, and it makes you feel like less of a person. hearing jokes about it makes people who have been through it have to relive it over and over again. people who think making light of something so terrible make me sick!
I definitely agree with you on this one! They aren’t funny to those who experienced it. A joke may be that just a joke but other people should think about someone else’s feelings before making a joke about something so real, its like making a joke about your dead dog or family member. ITS DEGRADING to everyone around you. They should think about it before they say it.
Exactly.
I think rape jokes can funny. Along with sexist jokes and any other kind. It dosn’t mean though you should tell them to ever one. Or say them in a rude/mean matter. By this I mean you probley shouldnt tell a rape joke to someone that was sexually harrased or say the joke: “What do you tell a women with two black eyes? Nothing, you already told her twice.” to someone that was beaten by their loved one.
I don’t understand why people get so up in arms over jokes. I mean really.. They’re. Called jokes for a reason… They’re not supposed to be taken seriously. I personally think that any joke can be funny, even if they are about a sensitive topic, as long as you ALLOW it to be funny. Everyone should just learn to either stop taking themselves so seriously, or learn to live and let live. (To anybody who is offended by this: if it’s because you’ve gone through something that makes certain jokes offensive, my apologies.. On the other hand if someone was offended by this comment just because they can’t take a joke: too bad for you)
P.S. Part of being a feminist is standing up to anti-abortion and pro-rape jokes, just FYI.
I am a full blown feminist and I can find one or two feminist jokes funny, but when it comes to rape jokes…nothing is funny. Holocaust and slavery jokes are present, but almost nobody you tell them too would have gone through such a horrific event (unless it was sexual slavery, then it would fall under the area of sexual assault and rape.)
Daniel Tosh is known for his provocative material, but when the subject of rape comes up it seems his social graces and knowledge of what is appropriate and what is taboo falls short. I basically blame that he did not know where to draw the line, and once he found out where the line was, he had already passed it.
This Gurl article is absolutely horrific, the notion of rape jokes being “OK”, but feminist jokes not is completely misguided and troublesome. A true feminist would take the feminist joke with class, and then use it as motivation FOR being a feminist. I mean who doesn’t want to stand up for women’s rights after hearing a sexist joke. This is not the case for rape victims, though. The fact that anybody you know could have the secret of being raped/assaulted/sexually abused, has increased over the years. Over my short lifetime I have found out my piano teacher, my art teacher, my mother,and two of my friends have been subjugated to one of those horrific events. So, when a joke of a sexually violent nature comes up we may be causing extreme pain and emotional distress to one of our friends (or audience members) through such jokes. Do you really want your face to become enemy number 2 in a rape victims mind. If you wouldn’t say it in front Jaycee Dugard, Maya Angelou, or any other known rape victim, don’t say it at all.
Who said feminist jokes were not funny? I certainly did not in the article or in any other article. My point was that there are jokes about rape that turn the notion of rape on its head thereby pointing out how awful rape in fact is. So just because the content of a joke contains rape as a part of it doesn’t mean it is condoning the act of rape. It actually means the joke is feminist and anti-rape. There are plenty of comedians who tell jokes like this and I would hate for them to get lumped in with idiot comedians because people hear the word “rape” and get upset.
Part of being a feminist is sorting out what is actually degrading and hurtful and what isn’t. It’s listening, not needlessly getting upset at people who might be on your side.
I wasn’t speaking on the Daniel Tosh incident just to be clear, I was merely using it as a catalyst to talk about rape jokes in general.
Personally, I don’t think rape jokes can be funny to rape victims. Just like how I get offended when I hear racism jokes. When it’s your race getting bashed on, you feel like shi* and it angers you, but when it’s another race it doesn’t have quite the same affect. Just like with rape jokes, if you were never raped they would probably be funny, but if you were then it’s going to make you sick and furious. I think all jokes that deal with touchy subjects like this should be stopped. It’s not something to laugh at its something you should discuss with a serious attitude.
I’m very angered by gUrl now. You made a whole article saying feminism jokes aren’t funny and that they are insulting blah blah blah. But Rape jokes can be? I’m a fan of race jokes and many jokes about beliefs and preferences gay jokes….I don’t care as long as it isn’t super insulting! But seriously rape should included with murder on this one. It’s not funny!
The article was about how those particular anti-feminist memes weren’t funny and offensive, not about how anti-feminist jokes are never funny. The same way some rape jokes would be offensive, while some would not be.
Actually racist jokes are usually pretty funny unless it goes too far….but rape jokes I’ve only heard one or two funny ones….
I personally am offended by this article. And maybe I’m being super sensitive because I was sexually assaulted, but rape jokes are what make people not take what’s happened to people like me seriously. And I’ll admit, before I accepted the fact that I was sexually assaulted I thought a lot differently about rape jokes and laughed at plenty of them. I’m not saying that they aren’t funny, but I feel like they shouldn’t be funny, if that makes any sense.
I’ve probably laughed at plenty of jokes about other sensitive topics like suicide or racism or things of that nature, but many of those things don’t offend me because I’ve never had to deal with them. Jokes against back people don’t really offend me especially if it’s targeted toward the “stereotypical” black person, whoever that is lol. That’s just my preference.
And I think that’s what it all boils down to: preference. It’s about your preferences and the things that you care most about when it comes to what you’ll find funny or offensive.
I do agree with you when you say that a good comedian is able to take a touchy subject and make a joke about it that somehow makes you think about it at the same time. I guess I haven’t heard many good comedians, or an good comedians that with tackles such subjects. I’ve never heard a rape joke that didn’t blame the woman in some way. If you can share one with me that doesn’t do that or can make me think, I’d be glad to listen
No, I’m sorry but no..it can never be funny.
Like racist jokes and hazing, it is never funny, nothing is funny when it hurts or offends others. Why joke about something so.. terribled..soon there will be slavery jokes or holocaust jokes too.
What do you mean “soon”??
uh hello! There already are slavery and holocaust jokes…..