Rape Jokes: Who is Laughing?

Sofia Vergara, star of the show "Modern Families", makes a rape joke on the show "The View". During Vergara's interview, she is asked the reason why she looks so good and has a an 18 year-old son. To which Vergara answers:

Sherri Shepard: What, did you have [your son] when you were 12?

Sofia Vergars: Thirteen. I was raped

Vergara's comment is a quintessential example of how the subject of rape is taken so lightly. Apparently, rape is a subject which one can make humorous jokes about. To Vergara, rape is just an "excuse", a "light" joke, to why she had her child at a young age.

Sofia Vergara's ability to joke about being raped comes from the fact that we live in a RAPE CULTURE! The act of rape is not taken seriously.

First off, just the plain fact that she felt comfortable enough to say she was raped, and not have any truth behind the statement is incredibly disrespectful. Making a joke about getting raped when it is not true takes away from the seriousness of the act. It turns away from the reality of rape; women around the world are raped and it is not laughing matter.

Making rape into a joke also discredits women who are victims and SURVIVORS of rape. Joking about rape takes away from the seriousness the subject deserves. Also, an incredible amount of pressure is put on those women who keep quiet about their own experiences of rape.

If rape is a joke to many, how will women become strong enough to speak out about their experiences and demands justice? How will the act of rape be dealt with if it is something that can bring laughs to an audience?

For the Sake of Comedy!

A lot of what tends to happen in rape culture is that rape is not treated seriously because usually there is comedic spin to it. Well I would like to hear your thoughts.

Now, are people that find rape jokes funny insensitive, pro-rape misogynists? Or are people who find rape jokes offensive, prudish, overly sensitive party-poopers?

Now remember, these two instances of rape culture are intended to be funny. But is rape something that should be consider funny? Or should rape be something that is off limits to comedians. And if it is, what are the consequences of it being off limit material?

Wanda Sykes had a very funny monologue about "detachable vaginas". In this part of her show, she introduces the joke and concept of "detachable pussies". She touches on subjects of the value of women's genitalia, the fear women have of rape, and the ability to be able to separate the entity of a woman from her genitalia.

In a way, Wanda Sykes is critiquing the very rape culture we live in! She is poking fun at the fear we have to face as women living in a rape culture. When Sykes jokes about the pussy being detachable when a woman wants to go on a jog at night, she is making a comedic critique on the fact that we live in a world that is not considered safe for women. Women are not safe BECAUSE THEY ARE WOMEN! That is rape culture!

But here is another example, which I didn't find very entertaining. The show South Park is all about the controversy; but I feel that they took this one too far. Or perhaps it is because there is an actual portrayal of rape, and it happens to be male on male rape.

I get it: George Lucas and Steven Spielberg are metaphorically raping the Indiana Jones franchise. But they are literally raping someone in the cartoon. It's too much, and distasteful. It's not funny to me. This is a show that is commonly watched by younger kids. And I just find it wrong that anyone would be able to laugh at an actual rape scene.

Rape in the Media

The Duncan Quinn advertisement is appalling to say the least. I was shocked to find such a disturbing ad!!! The ad shows a woman in lingerie, on the hood of a car. Not only is the woman being strangled by a man, but there also appears to be blood around her head.

What is Duncan Quinn trying to sell? Suits? Rape?! Murder?! Sexualized-Rape?!

This image is a major contribution to rape culture. The image that is being shown to us suggests to us that any form of sexual violence is accepted and tolerated. The act of sexual violence in this image is being glamorized!!! The man shows complete disregard for the woman, and gives the message that treating women in such manner is acceptable.

This Dolce & Gabbana ad is glamorizing and tolerating rape in print media.

The female model in this image is being pinned down to floor by her wrists by a male model. While the other four male models in the background do nothing to protest; the rest of the men just observe.

They may not be directly saying it, but there is the definite implication that gang rape is considered sexy. The woman in this situation is passive, and shows no sign of objection. This advertisement for Dolce & Gabbana contributes to rape culture's notion that rape is not something serious. The woman's passiveness even eludes the possibility that she could be enjoying it, and that rape is a compliment these men are paying to her beauty.

In this Pepsi ad, a young boy is trading a Pepsi for a Lifeguard shirt. With the Lifeguard shirt comes a free pass at the beautiful, unconscious woman on the beach in a bathing suit.

Should this be considered an innocent act? What is the BOY going to do? We shouldn't assume just because of the age of the young boy, that this act of sexual assault will stop at "innocent" kiss. This ad is portraying a dangerous situation, which would not be considered "innocent" if the young boy trading the Pepsi happened to be an adult male.

Not only is this advertisement condoning a sexual act without consent, but it also is saying that it holds as much value as a can of Pepsi.

Who Would Wear This???

These are just a few of the many selection of "pro-rape" t-shirts out and available on the Internet.

More Shirts

If having rape become normalized in the media isn't bad enough, now we have people being pro-rape billboards. Or perhaps, I just don't get the joke?

Having these types of messages printed on t-shirts, eliminates the real problems of rape. It makes rape into a joke, something that is funny. These jokes don't show the faces, bodies, and emotions of the many who are victims/ SURVIVORS of rape, incest, sexual abuse or assault.

This is something that is becoming more and more prominent in our culture. We often hear people make jokes about rape and synonymously use the word rape in for occasions that don't involve rape. Such as:

• "That test totally raped me hard!". . . something was difficult
• "No don't tickle me, or I'll yell Rape!" . . . you are bothering me
• "Classical music rapes my ears". . . to bother
• "We are completely raping the other team!" . . . to be better than another
• "I just got eye-raped" . . . to be looked at sexually

Another selection of shirts has the theme of pedophilia. People who wear these shirts probably don't read too much into it. It's just a shirt with a "clever joke on it"; but to many it is an offensive remark that simplifies the pain of sexual abuse and assault.

Rape culture dominates our views therefore it is easy for people to think these t-shirts are funny when they don't see the reality of rape and pedophilia. Rape is just something that is taken lightly as a joke by the average person.

Funny Date Scene? or Date Rape?

In the dark comedy, Observe and Report (2009), starring Seth Rogen and Ana Farris, this scene occurs between the two. . .

Observe and Report (Click Here for Clip)

So. . . funny date scene, or date rape?

or perhaps it is what Cosmopolitan Magazine calls "Gray Rape". Gray Rape is when consent or denial is unclear.

In these scene from the film, Observe and Report, Ana Farris's character, Brandi is clearly intoxicated and has taken a dangerous cocktail of alcohol and prescription drugs. When the two characters arrive to the house, Brandi is having trouble walking by herself, and is throwing up!

What is even more shocking about this scene is that Seth Rogen's character, Ronnie, continues to have sex with her even thought she is clearly unconscious. If you look closely, there is vomit on the pillow that Brandi is lying on.

Seth Rogen explained in an interview that what made this scene hilarious and broke the tension is Ana Farris's line, "Why are you stopping motherfucker?"

Rape Culture allows us to believe that this is an acceptable form of consent for sex. If someone is heavily under the influence of a substance should he/she not require consent for sex? In this specific scene, should Seth Rogen's character, Ronnie, put a stop to this? Men CAN prevent rape. So what kind of message are we sending to young people when this kind of scene in a movie is considered comical?

Rapelay- The Video Game

WARNING: Sexually Explicit Video and Disturbing Content

Rapelay is a Japanese video game that was released in April of 2006. The game is a 3D sex simulation game that follows the life of "Chikan". The video game character, Chikan, is described as a man who frequently fondles women in crowed subway trains.

The story line of the game is Chikan (the player of the video game) is arrested for molesting a young woman. The player's purpose is to get revenge by molesting and raping her entire family.

The object of the game is to "break" the female characters. By "breaking" the female characters, what is being implied is that the player of the game must molest the female characters to point where they enjoy being molested rather than resisting it. After this, the player gets to have sex with the female characters, whenever, wherever, however the player chooses.

"Sniff. . . Sniff. . .I w-w-want to die. . ." is the kind of dialouge that is heard after rape scenes. The player has the option to photograph the female characters after the rape, or rape them again. The focus of the game is to rape the women until the point they learn to enjoy being raped and become sex slaves.

This game is banned in the United States, but is still available for download on the Internet. Other similar games are available, such as Grand Theft Auto and Second Life. In these games you are allowed to rape and kill a sex worker, and "buy" a rape.

This is just a brief description of what is available on the video games. This is just incredible that this is even available to anyone. These video games are NORMALIZING RAPE!!! These video games are condoning rape fantasies and allowing players to "live their fantasies" out!

Not only is this game disturbing because of content, but also because of the fear it instill. This video game encourage rape culture to flourish even more. Rape becomes a mundane part of life, something that is inevitable, and that we should therefore always be scared of.

Rape is accepted and not punished in these "fantasy worlds"; this is a dangerous, but almost accurate reflection of what our culture is transforming to. Rape is being normalized and hyper-sexualized to the point that that women are expected to enjoy being raped!

Tupac, The Feminist!!!

I was trying to find something that reflected rape culture in popular music. Instead I came upon Tupac's song "Gotta Keep Ya Head Up". Inspirational to say the least! In this song, there are specific lyrics that question the problem of rape and violence against women.

And since we all came from a woman
Got our name from a woman and our game from a woman
I wonder why we take from our women
Why we rape our women, do we hate our women?
I think it's time to kill for our women
Time to heal our women, be real to our women
And if we don't we'll have a race of babies
That will hate the ladies, that make the babies
And since a man can't make one
He has no right to tell a woman when and where to create one
So will the real men get up
I know you're fed up ladies, but keep your head up

I admire Tupac as a lyricist and for this unique content that is so rarely addressed in rap music and in popular culture in such a supportive manner. Tupac is trying to get the message across that women are valuable and should be respected. He even goes as a far as to put a vague "Pro-Choice" message in this song too: "And since a man can't make one. He had no right to tell a woman when and where to create one"

For Full Lyrics to "Keep Ya Head Up"