# Joking about rape **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [September 29, 2014, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/joking-about-rape/699915 "2014-09-29T23:55:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Fuzzy\_wuzzy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a8b319/32.png) [@Fuzzy\_wuzzy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fuzzy_wuzzy)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2014, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/joking-about-rape/699915/41 "2014-10-03T00:00:49Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > How is the untouchable superstar actress in a position of authority? Her bodyguards, her one in a million sexual attraction, the fact she sells the image rights of her scantily clad suggestive poses to the highest bidder, the fact that her 10 million dollar bank balance means she probably wont give a shit if some no-mark comedian makes such a “joke”. It’s better to make a joke about such a person than make the same joke about a single parent barmaid working in a pub on a Manchester council estate. ---
**Author:** ![Fuzzy\_wuzzy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a8b319/32.png) [@Fuzzy\_wuzzy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fuzzy_wuzzy)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2014, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/joking-about-rape/699915/42 "2014-10-03T00:07:49Z")
> [@astorian](#): > > Just to use a political example: > > Back in the late Eighties, Clayton Williams was leading in the race for governor of Texas. He lost, in LARGE measure because, when a rainstorm was spoiling a barbecue on his ranch, he quipped, “You know what they say- when rape is inevitable, just lie back and enjoy it.” > > Now, I’m absolutely certain that Williams only MEANT to say, “Oh well, nothing we can do about the weather, so let’s just make the best of it.” But I knew he was dead meat as soon as he said it- even in Texas, rape jokes are verboten. You CAN’T get away with making rape jokes about women." > > BUT… when crooked Enron exec Ken Lay was sent to prison, a LOT of liberal politicians (including California Attorney General Lockyer) made jokes about how great it would be when Lay’s new cellmate told him, “Hi, honey, my name’s Spike.” No one objected to such jokes, or deemed them inappropriate. > > Look, nobody feels sorry for Ken Lay, but this illustrates a point: it’s okay to joke about homosexual rape, but not about women being raped. The same happened only a few weeks ago when a politician(a Governor?) was found guilty of corruption in the US. The same rape jokes appeared. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2014, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/joking-about-rape/699915/43 "2014-10-03T00:47:10Z")
What about the episode of _South Park_ where Snookie rapes Cartman? Would that count as using a real person? Even though said person was the rapist, rather than the victim? (Personally, I found said episode hilarious) ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2014, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/joking-about-rape/699915/44 "2014-10-04T03:24:19Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#): > > What about the episode of _South Park_ where Snookie rapes Cartman? Would that count as using a real person? Even though said person was the rapist, rather than the victim? > > (Personally, I found said episode hilarious) The worst rape joke I ever thought was hilarious was the South Park episode where George Lucas and Steven Spielberg rape Indiana Jones. I’m pretty sure it was played as a parody of that movie ‘‘The Accused’’ and was really drawn out to the extent of exploring the long-term emotional impact of the trauma on Indiana Jones. It went on and on and I couldn’t stop fucking laughing which probably makes me a horrible person. My favorite rape joke of all time, however is #3 on [this list](http://jezebel.com/5925186/how-to-make-a-rape-joke), the John Mulaney subway scene. > [@](#): > > “Late at night, on the street, women will see me as a threat. That is funny—yeah! That is funny. It’s kind of flattering in its own way, but at the same time it’s weird because, like, I’m still afraid of being kidnapped.” Any subject can be funny in the right context. It’s not what the joke is about, but how it is about it. ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2014, 11:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/joking-about-rape/699915/45 "2014-10-04T11:39:02Z")
> [@Bryan\_Ekers](#): > > I can’t wait for somebody to invent a Humor Computer that can calculate with pinpoint accuracy what is funny. And when they do, it had better not be running WINDOWS 8!!! I said, “it had better not be running WINDOWS 8!!!” Jeez, aren’t you guys supposed to be tech-savvy? Hello! Topical humor, people! ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2014, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/joking-about-rape/699915/46 "2014-10-04T15:25:54Z")
Stewie is the Don Rickles of animation. ---
**Author:** ![EndlessEntropy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f9ae1b/32.png) [@EndlessEntropy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EndlessEntropy)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2014, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/joking-about-rape/699915/47 "2014-10-04T16:21:58Z")
No topic should be off limits for comedy. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2014, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/joking-about-rape/699915/48 "2014-10-06T22:54:20Z")
> [@EndlessEntropy](#): > > No topic should be off limits for comedy. That’s bullshit. What makes comedy so important that it outweighs all other considerations? ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2014, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/joking-about-rape/699915/49 "2014-10-06T23:45:36Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > What makes comedy so important that it outweighs all other considerations? That’s the funny thing about comedy. ---
**Author:** ![OneCentStamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/13edae/32.png) [@OneCentStamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OneCentStamp)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2014, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/joking-about-rape/699915/50 "2014-10-07T00:09:07Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > That’s bullshit. What makes comedy so important that it outweighs all other considerations? I don’t think it outweighs all other considerations, but I think it outweighs politeness and decorum. ---
**Author:** ![marshmallow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df705f/32.png) [@marshmallow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/marshmallow)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2014, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/joking-about-rape/699915/51 "2014-10-07T01:31:58Z")
> [@EndlessEntropy](#): > > No topic should be off limits for comedy. No topic is off limits for art. Hardly anyone is outraged if the rape joke victim is a man. Sometimes someone will point out the hypocrisy and get on the soap box over how many men are raped in U.S. prisons, but really, they don’t care either, it’s just to score political points. It’s only OK to joke about women being raped if it paints men in a bad light or if the person telling the joke is a woman. Even then, a lot of people will be uncomfortable and it’ll just as likely be nervous laughs, so whether it’s broadly funny or not is debatable. It’s like hey, come on, almost everyone knows someone who’s been raped. It’s a serious issue that shouldn’t be made fun of. Now let’s get back to jokes about war, racism, drugs, gays, and mental illness. > [@Scumpup](#): > > I never thought this bon mot from Carlin was funny. I think it could be funny, but is there a particular reason or is it left as an exercise for the audience? Is it supposed to be funny because both Porky and Elmer Fudd have speech impediments? Because Porky –\> pork, slang for fucking? Because Porky could make a _Deliverance_ reference? Because Porky is a nice guy and it would be wildly out of character? Because pigs have corkscrew penises? Is that even common knowledge? ---
**Author:** ![Crazy\_Canuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crazy_canuck/32/5282_2.png) [@Crazy\_Canuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crazy_Canuck)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2014, 5:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/joking-about-rape/699915/52 "2014-10-07T05:57:05Z")
Joking about rape on an elevator is wrong on many different levels. ---
**Author:** ![bengangmo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@bengangmo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bengangmo)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2014, 9:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/joking-about-rape/699915/53 "2014-10-07T09:11:03Z")
> [@astorian](#): > > BUT… when crooked Enron exec Ken Lay was sent to prison, a LOT of liberal politicians (including California Attorney General Lockyer) made jokes about how great it would be when Lay’s new cellmate told him, “Hi, honey, my name’s Spike.” No one objected to such jokes, or deemed them inappropriate. > > Look, nobody feels sorry for Ken Lay, but this illustrates a point: it’s okay to joke about homosexual rape, but not about women being raped. Well…he metaphorically arse-raped a lot of people, so it’s “fun” or “fitting” to think of him being literally arse-raped ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2014, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/joking-about-rape/699915/54 "2014-10-07T15:55:21Z")
> [@Mithrander](#): > > Joking about rape on an elevator is wrong on many different levels. I admit laughing out loud at this. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2014, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/joking-about-rape/699915/55 "2014-10-07T17:07:53Z")
> [@FriarTed](#): > > But making a joke about being raped by a real-life person? > > Sarah Silverman about Joe Franklin in THE ARISTOCRATS… > > Now that's comedy gold right there. I remember why I couldn’t get through that movie. Sure, the material was gross and all but what really put me off were the pointless camera changes. It’s a person talking, not the fucking Bourne Identity, USE ONE CAMERA! ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2014, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/joking-about-rape/699915/56 "2014-10-07T17:22:36Z")
> [@OneCentStamp](#): > > I don’t think it outweighs all other considerations, but I think it outweighs politeness and decorum. Which is, once again, bullshit. Politeness & decorum exist to grease the wheels of society–to make it easier to for people to get along with one another. That is why persons with social awareness understand that there are some topics you do not joke about, at least not in public. Your resistance to politeness and decorum disturbs me. ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2014, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/joking-about-rape/699915/57 "2014-10-07T17:34:50Z")
[QUOTE=marshmallow] Hardly anyone is outraged if the rape joke victim is a man. Sometimes someone will point out the hypocrisy and get on the soap box over how many men are raped in U.S. prisons, but really, they don’t care either, it’s just to score political points [/QUOTE] I like how you set it up so that a person falls into one of two camps: either you openly think man rape is hilarious, or you secretly think man rape is hilarious but pretend that you don’t to score political points. If nobody cares about man rape, then why would talking about it score political points? In your worldview there is no way to legitimately oppose this double standard. [QUOTE=astorian] Back in the late Eighties, Clayton Williams was leading in the race for governor of Texas. He lost, in LARGE measure because, when a rainstorm was spoiling a barbecue on his ranch, he quipped, “You know what they say- when rape is inevitable, just lie back and enjoy it.” [/QUOTE] To me this is a perfect example of a rape joke that is offensive. The butt of the joke is the victim him/herself. This pithy little expression is an accurate reflection of some people’s attitude toward rape. So it’s basically as humorous as making a statement like, ‘‘You know what they say - Jews can’t be trusted! Ha, ha, ha!’’ Absent any additional commentary, it’s just a reinforcement of a vile sentiment. [QUOTE=astorian] No one objected to such jokes, or deemed them inappropriate. [/QUOTE] I assure you, some people objected to those jokes and deemed them inappropriate. > [@bengangmo](#): > > Well…he metaphorically arse-raped a lot of people, so it’s “fun” or “fitting” to think of him being literally arse-raped I don’t actually think it’s fun to think about any specific person being raped, no matter how horrible the person. I do agree that many people would find that more socially acceptable to joke about because he’s a man. Those people would be wrong, but they do exist. I’d say we are decades behind where we need to be in regards to the public dialog on men as rape victims. Note, for example, that sexual assault in the military is more common for men than women. But we still think of a woman when we think of a rape victim. I’m hard pressed to think of a rape joke (that I find funny) where the actual humor comes from the suffering of the person getting raped. It’s usually a broader statement about the meaning of rape within our society that I find humorous. Even the elevator joke, which is very simple, is kind of a statement about the taboo of rape within the context of our society. (And it’s funny.) ---
**Author:** ![Scumpup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2014, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/joking-about-rape/699915/58 "2014-10-07T17:35:33Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > Which is, once again, bullshit. Politeness & decorum exist to grease the wheels of society–to make it easier to for people to get along with one another. That is why persons with social awareness understand that there are some topics you do not joke about, at least not in public. QFT. ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2014, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/joking-about-rape/699915/59 "2014-10-07T17:40:43Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > Which is, once again, bullshit. Politeness & decorum exist to grease the wheels of society–to make it easier to for people to get along with one another. That is why persons with social awareness understand that there are some topics you do not joke about, at least not in public. > > Your resistance to politeness and decorum disturbs me. When you say ‘‘public’’ what do you mean? If I’m standing around a water cooler at work, I don’t want to hear jokes about rape, pedophilia, racism, or a lot of other oogy things. Chances are even if it’s a good joke, I’m going to find that offensive. At 11pm when I’m in a crowded theater drinking with a bunch of people who are there to laugh? Totally different story. I think part of the difference is the audience’s sense of agency. You know when you walk into a comedy club that there will be people pushing the envelope with all manner of social issues. ---
**Author:** ![Fair\_Rarity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fair_rarity/32/153_2.png) [@Fair\_Rarity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fair_Rarity)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2014, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/joking-about-rape/699915/60 "2014-10-08T01:13:29Z")
I generally don’t find rape jokes funny, but I’ve laughed at several of the ones in this thread. I didn’t find the OP’s example of the FG Stewie joke funny. Rape jokes depend so much on the teller, the audience, the context, not to mention if it’s genuinely funny. I think Seth’s sense of “humor” the last several years is to say something controversial and expect it to be humorous on its own. He seems to forget the “funny” part. Edgy isn’t good enough. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/joking-about-rape/699915.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/joking-about-rape/699915.md?page=4)