Rape is Never Funny
It’s time to reform our prisons
Joking about Rape
I don’t remember how old I was when I heard a rape joke. It was in a movie. Someone was going to prison. They joked about how the guy would get it in the butt.
I didn’t think anything of it at the time. Who feels sympathy for a felon?
Of course, rape jokes in general were more common in our culture back then. Rape was more acceptable.
Remember “The Revenge of the Nerds”? There is a scene where the beautiful girl has sex with the main nerd because she thinks he’s her boyfriend. Later, when she finds out the truth — she doesn’t feel angry or violated. She seems happy. How is this realistic? Wasn’t she just raped?
Over time, we’ve become more sensitive to the rape of women. This is a good thing. We’ve got a long way to go, but at least we’re making progress.
But what about men?
Why do we still joke about men being raped?
I remember the first Police Academy movie. Rape is eluded to when the mean officer is lured to a gay bar and seen dancing with a beefy biker. We’re supposed to laugh. In pop culture, a raped man is the punchline of a joke.
