When is rape funny?

Rape is never funny, but sometimes people joke about it anyway. Sometimes it is laughing to keep from crying, or trying to bring attention to the issue, but it can also be triggering and even end up validating rapists. It can be a pretty taboo subject for comedy, because unless you are one evil SOB, rape isn't funny.

I am going to do a series of posts on what different comedians have said about rape and abuse and why some jokes are acceptable, while others aren't. The first thing I want to mention is the weird way comedians feel threatened by the rape isn't funny movement. The big tagline is: "comedians need freedom. That's how comedy gets made. If you don't want to be offended, then stay out of comedy clubs." That's right, comedians go out on stage and say whatever they want and the then audience reacts and they learn from the feedback which jokes work. However, for some reason, comedians refuse to listen to the feedback they get on their rape jokes. Some rape jokes are great, but comedians need to craft them responsibly.

Survivors deserve the right to be able to heal. No joke, no matter how funny or clever you think it is, should override that right. This has nothing to do with being sensitive. PTSD triggers our real physiological responses that cause real suffering. I don’t think it’s possible for people who don’t have PTSD, to understand, but try to imagine the most awful, horrible thing that’s ever happened to you, and then imagine your friends joking and laughing about it. It’s not cool.

 Every time you tell a rape joke, there’s a good chance that you’re triggering someone’s PTSD. According to the Rape Abuse and Incest National Network, one in six women have been raped, and one in 33 men. Even those numbers are probably low because, unfortunately, rape is a crime that goes unreported a lot of the time.  If you tell a rape joke to a group of any size, you’re more likely than not, to cause someone severe emotional distress. Rape can cause very traumatic flash backs and panic attacks, as a result of PTSD, and making jokes like that only makes survivors feel more alone and isolated.

 While I can agree that nothing should be out of bounds for humor because comedy functions best (most of the time) when it is pushing limits, I also understand that the vast majority of rape jokes are jokes which further victimize people who have been raped -- and that's not pushing anything except the already widespread cultural belief that rape is a joke. The best comics use their art to call bullshit on those terrible parts of life and make them better, not worse.

There's a very clear difference in a rape joke that makes fun rapists and one that makes fun of victims. When a joke takes a shot at a rape survivor, who’s that helping? You’re just attacking this person who’s gone through this horrible thing, and for what? To prove that you’re edgy and cool, and not tied down by political correctness? That’s crap. There’s nothing edgy or cool about making fun of rape survivor. 

Making fun of victims is never funny, but pointing out the faulty logic in a rapists fucked up mind is completely different...

Louis C.K. is making a great rape joke here. He is making fun of how ridiculous it is to have any excuse for raping another person. I love it! Cyanide and Happiness does the same thing:

Very funny stuff. 

This however, is not funny at all:

I don't condone anyone raping anyone and I don't think picturing anyone being raped is or should be funny, even if they are cartoon characters. George goes on to explain himself a little better, but I'll cover that in a later post. 

Also not funny:

This is one of those jokes that makes fun of the victim, not the aggressor. This is seriously messed up and isn't funny. Rape jokes like this are actively harmful. When rapists see rape being joked about, and taken lightly, they think that their behavior is okay. A lot of rapists don’t know that they’re rapists, because they don’t feel like they’ve done anything wrong, this feeds into that.

So is rape funny? No, absolutely not, never. 

Can rape jokes be funny? 

Sometimes, as long as you tell them responsibly.