There are those who say that no subject is off-limits when it comes to jokes, and that anyone who thinks some topics are taboo needs to lighten up and get a sense of humor.
I disagree. Specifically, jokes and quips about rape are not funny. They are tasteless, disrespectful and ignorant.
I am all for bold and daring humor, for venturing to say what others are embarrassed to admit or speak out loud, but there is a line.
When a gutsy joke exposes a dark or hidden truth, it hits the funny bone. When a joke instead obscures or downplays the truth, it's more like a hit to the stomach, especially to those whose truth is being minimized.
I used to think it was amusing when someone would say, "Man, that precalc test totally just raped me." I'm a master and appreciator of exaggeration, but somewhere down the line I discovered that sometimes comparing certain circumstances — in this case, failing a test and being raped — is insulting.
According to the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network (RAINN), there were 248,300 sexual assaults in the U.S. in 2007, which "comes out to one sexual assault every 127 seconds, or about one every two minutes."
Otterbein's 2009-2010 Annual Campus Security/Fire Safety Report, compiled by the Security Department, says that there have been three forcible sex offenses on campus since 2007.
So this isn't just something that happens somewhere else and to "other people."
And these are just the cases that have been reported. According to RAINN, 60 percent of sexual assaults go unreported. Males, who make up about 10 percent of sexual assault victims, are least likely to report it.
And even if it is reported, there is only a 50.8 percent chance of arrest, an 80 percent chance of prosecution, a 58 percent chance of conviction and finally, a 69 percent chance the convict will spend time in jail.
What this boils down to is that there are literally hundreds of thousands of sexual assault victims every year, and very few of them ever receive any kind of justice under the law, adding insult to injury.
So it's not funny to say that you would "totally rape" a celebrity if you ever got the chance to meet him or her and it's not funny to cry "rape" when one of your friends playfully grabs you by the arm or flirts with you.
Yes, the point of many jokes is to offend and shock, but this "rape culture" that we live in is a serious problem. People are afraid to report rape because not even the justice system takes it seriously.
You don't know who you're offending when you make such remarks, and I don't think any victim of sexual assault could reasonably be told to "get a sense of humor" if a careless remark about rape elicited a negative and painful response.
Yes, yes, "sticks and stones" and all that, but anyone who has ever endured middle school can probably agree that words can indeed hurt, even if you try not to let them get to you.
I am not the morality police and it is not my intention to sit on some high horse and pass judgment over all.
Instead, I aim to break through the desensitization and reveal some of the hidden truths that thoughtless jokes bury and downplay.
It's not about having or not having a sense of humor — it's about being conscious of the true impact of supposedly humorous statements. t&c;
