Rape Joke Supercut: I Can't Believe You Clapped for That

The Women's Media Center announces the release of a new Web video, "Rape Joke Supercut: I can't believe you clapped for that" created by Video Content manager Elisa Kresinger of Pop Culture Pirate, Fem 2.0 (a project of Turner Strategies), and Women In Media & News.

The video examines the ubiquity of "rape comedy" in American culture, in response to controversy over comedian Daniel Tosh's onstage "joke" to a comedy club audience member that it would be "funny" if she "got raped by, like, 5 guys, right now."

President of the Women's Media Center Julie Burton had this to say:

"If free speech permits a comedian to suggest a woman in his audience should be gang-raped, then it certainly permits us to object, and to ask what message this sends to survivors or to perpetrators...Tosh's comment was just one extreme example of pop culture's dismissive treatment of sexualized violence, which desensitizes audiences to enormous human suffering. Internet outcry is encouraging, but popular media needs to push back too."

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  News & Politics

[KireGoTI]

I'm pretty upset that Louis C.K.'s joke calling out the absurdity of rapists' logic (watch his facial expression at the end of the joke, clearly showing disgust) and Dave Chapelle's baiting his audience to applaud something terrible and then getting them to reflect are being shown alongside Daniel's puerile "rape is funny" message. Not only does it wrongly equate the two, but other people are likely to notice and justify Daniel's buffoonery because he's put alongside the others.

[pippiniyt]

This isn't about whether rape jokes are funny. The point is simple: Humor is strongest when its subversive, not echoing cultural tropes. There's nothing interesting about baldly stating an existing stereotype. There's everything funny about turning that on its head and pointing out its absurdity. Comedy that affirms biases is bad comedy. Any topic can be funny, if its approached Subversively. The problem is most of you lack critical thinking skills of a potato. You're the target of these jokes.

[MRTOWELRACK]

Obviously he's trying to offend her, she's a heckler so she was trying to offend him in the first place. Assuming the use of original material, all comedians are unique but Tosh is comparable to Chapelle because they both use dark and absurd comedy, that's it. Agreed Chapelle is better, he's one of the greatest current comedians. I don't mean to anger you if I did, I'm simply stating my opinion as you stated yours. If someone heckles a comedian, they should expect to get heckled right back.

[derek2010x]

Now that's some funny shit!



[MzShonuff123]

Tosh isn't funny. Period. And please don't compare him to Dave Chappelle-Chappelle is clever and does bits that are rooted in truth-that's what makes them funny. That's what makes it catchy. There's a basis to what he's saying that many people can relate to. Saying, "I hope you get raped!" or "She TOTALLY got raped" isn't rooted in anything except hate. And it's lazy. It's like making dick and fart jokes when you're not 12 years old anymore.

[MrBrilliantChaos]

God forbid anyone have a fucking sense of humor in these days.

[MRTOWELRACK]

I don't quite think people understand Tosh's humour. Saying rape is funny is equivalent to saying that pushing the boundaries on taboo subjects in an absurd context is funny. This absurd and dark style of comedy is used by South Park, Anthony Jeselnik, Dave Chappelle, etc. Tosh is not advocating rape. He commonly tries to get booed for being offensive by his own audience all the time which in itself ends up being part of his signature style. Comedians appropriately offend hecklers on purpose.

[leanne0145]

According to the producers of this video, the point was not to "wrongly equate the two," (and I agree with you that that conflation would be, at the very least, inaccurate) but to highlight the difference between jokes that call out rape culture and jokes that perpetuate it.

They explain that in the video description, but go into further detail here: fem2pt0. com/2012/07/16/surfing-the-rap­e-wave-what-tosh-teaches-about­-humor-power-and-privilege/

[sonetribute13]

I'm surprised you're not American.

[Potheadmcgee14]

Damn feminists

[Maererigan Muirenn]

Eff you if you can't take a (rape) joke.

[MuphrysLaw]

@mememe11144