No Laughing Matter: Why Are People Trying To Make Rape Something To Joke About?

September 19th, 2012 - By Nicole Thompson

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Scenes from popular movies, lyrics from acclaimed songs, quips from notable comedians and clips from loved television shows are all guilty of attempting to slap a smile on the face of rape culture, simultaneously slapping every survivor in the face by perpetuating the idea that there is something funny about the sexual violation and degradation of any man, woman or child.

Unique in its horror, rape like no other crime violates on several fundamental levels. Aside from being physical burglary, it’s an act of power which destroys self-respect, self-esteem, sexual well-being and feelings of security; simultaneously producing triggers, feelings of shame and socialized guilt. To quote criminologist and educator, Freda Adler, “Rape is the only crime in which the victim becomes the accused.”

So, in a world where victims are blamed, sexual assaults occur every two minutes (U.S.) and 1 out of every 6 women has been the victim of rape/attempted rape in her lifetime, it has to be understandable that one doesn’t buckle over in laughter when comedians like Daniel Tosh make jokes about women getting gang-raped in a public setting, or movies like Hit & Run employing prison rape jokes (which also manages to touch on racial stereotypes) doesn’t invoke the desire to give a standing ovation. And the same can be said about music such as Notorious BIG’s “Dead Wrong,” which has two vivid lines regarding sexual violence; and the heavy metal band, The Mentors, who coined the phrase and genre, “rape rock.” This free speech mentality (differing greatly from creative license) that entertainers/media officials have exercised for decades has been used to systematically incapacitate minorities and women.

The idea that rape is somehow hilarious, to those telling the joke and those laughing, is rooted in the presumption that it won’t happen to them, which is especially true of men. These people with these jokes or lyrics have never had a firsthand account of sexual assault, and they have no idea the trauma that kind of violence can incur. For many women, though, rape is a reality. Women are raised with the realization of rape, told to avoid alleyways and dark paths, and ensured that if they were to dress a certain way or behave a certain way, then they won’t ever fall victim to rape. But this attitude not only disarms women, and lures them into a sense of false security, it also reinforces victim blame. This mindset rationalizes that sexual violence dealt against a woman wearing anything less than a sweater set and a long skirt is justified.

All of this isn’t to say that rape can’t be addressed in the media, or that the action and the culture of rape can’t be addressed with comical concern, but it has to be done with a sense of decorum, and its goal should be to shine light on the conditions of rape and rape culture in this society. Comedians such Wanda Sykes, Elayne Boosler, Tig Notaro and Sarah Silverman are able to do this, riding the fine line between astute commentary and humor. The late great George Carlin was also able to do this with the following joke:

Picture Porky Pig raping Elmer Fudd. See, hey why do you think they call him “Porky,” eh? I know what you’re going to say. “Elmer was asking for it. Elmer was coming on to Porky. Porky couldn’t help himself, he got a hard-on, he got horny, he lost control, he went out of his mind.” A lot of men talk like that. A lot of men think that way. They think it’s the woman’s fault. They like to blame the rape on the woman. Say,“she had it coming, she was wearing a short skirt.” These guys think women ought to go to prison for being cock teasers. Don’t seem fair to me.

The perpetual evolution of the definition of rape could be a factor in the national disassociation with rape. While it’s brilliant that law officials are finally zoning in on the definition of rape, understanding the spectrum of actions to be identified as rape, how long did it take? And now that we have a functional definition, what does that mean for women? What does it mean for the media? The sad truth is that it may not mean very much at all. The definition may have changed but media’s attitude toward rape hasn’t changed because their attitude toward women hasn’t changed. In the same light, the media has no respect for individuals in the prison system, which is why it’s so easy for entertainers and media outlets to visit the idea of others being sodomized by brash strangers. At some point, people need to realize that there’s nothing funny about sexual assault and until it can be addressed in a tasteful way that could even bring attention to such an issue, it needs to be off limits.

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  • AndStillIRise

    M’is-ogyny is is as old as time. (had to purposely misspell because MN moderators keep blockin this comment).

  • psylocke_2001

    Sarah Silverman is not funny at all, and she is not good at “riding the fine line between astute commentary and humor” she goes over the line every single time no matter what she is talking about, her name shouldn’t have even been mentioned.

  • lucygoosey

    these issues will continue to be watered down, tolerance lowered and soon it will be no big deal

  • L-Boogie

    Not funny at all. Some jokes are just cruel.

  • pfeiffer87

    I think it’s because most comedians are men and they have no concept of the daily fear women go through of walking in the dark or staying out late or being the last person on the bus home from work at night. My uni has had a particular problem with men attacking women in the park next to our campus at night, now most girls walk with someone else or take the long route home.

    There was a study by a uni done recently which asked men and women what they most feared from the opposite sex. For men it was the fear that women would laugh at them, but for women it was the fear that men would rape or kill them. Quite a drastic difference don’t ya think?

    • Kayo Halana Malie

      First paragraph – It doesn’t even have to be at night that women fear walking or being on public transportation.

      Second paragraph – Your college did that study recently? “For men it was the fear that women would laugh at them, but for women it was the fear that men would rape or kill them.” – This idea has been around for some time now.

      • pfeiffer87

        SO do you agree with my comment or are you just being pedantic? It wasn’t my uni that did the study & I live in the UK & I only heard about it recently. Chill.

  • ieshapatterson

    it’s not funny,i agree.but sometimes,people on both sides go over the thin line of funny and down right hurtful.

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_JAI4SRENU2A5WKRTELXXYJPDSI Kayla

    The point of comedy in general is to be able to make fun of everything. Anything that can come out of a comedians mouth can potentially offend someone. Why is ok to make male rape jokes (i.e don’t drop the soap) but when it comes to woman’s rape then it’s offensive. Really? I would say as long as it’s in good taste, and you better make sure it’s funny.

    • Bishop

      Excellent point, to who disagree please come up with a argument that counter acts her point. I would like to hear your intelligent discourse.

    • Cheri

      I think the writer made her point in saying in either case of male or female rape it’s insensitve to make jokes about it. “…perpetuating the idea that there is something funny about the sexual violation and degradation of any man, woman or child.” It’s should not be acceptable to make jokes about it regardless of what sex the victim is.

      • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_JAI4SRENU2A5WKRTELXXYJPDSI Kayla

        That’s my point . There are alot of of sensitive topics, that may make people uncomfortable. You can’t and shouldn’t censor comedy.

  • RJA

    But isn’t the reason that comedians jokes are funny are because they stem from real life situations? Btw, this is just me playing devil’s advocate for converation purposes. There is NOTHING funny about rape (I even hate the word), but I am guilty of laughing at “rape jokes”

    • Dee

      I am a huge Daniel Tosh fan and if anyone has seen his stand up, it is chock full of inappropriate jokes. He is an equal opportunity offender. What bugs me about people that get offended at certain jokes is this weird morality line they have. These same people will laugh at homophobic jokes, racist jokes, sexist jokes but when it finally gets to one that touches them, they get offended. I think its a bit hypocritical.

  • IllyPhilly

    Wow, an amazing article.