The thing you seem to misunderstand is the difference between a joke, and the subject of a joke. The latter is of course not funny. But no children were harmed in the former.
I think this is definitely true, but it doesn’t just blanket apply to any joke that mentions these topics.
Jokes where people “pretend” to say sexist or abusive ideas, but the joke is that “I’m actually a nice person, I obviously don’t really mean this” (eg “no means yes, and yes means harder, amirite guys ;-)” or “if there’s grass on the wicket, it’s ready for cricket, lol”), can definitely be harmful even if not many that way. It normalises those attitudes, and can make abusers feel like they have more support from society than they really do.
But in this comic the character comes across as a psychopath, proudly announcing something that is clearly wrong, and the other one calls the police. I don’t feel like anyone is getting some message that actually it’s totally normal to have sex with ten year olds…
I get what you’re saying. But I also don’t think it is as clear cut as what you’re making it out to be. There has been cultural acceptance for things that shouldn’t be acceptable at. That’s still the case now. The nuances for jokes in this role, I’m sure are subject for more than one doctoral dissertation.
I also stand a little bit corrected, because I don’t mean that all jokes are OK. I think however that all subjects, are. When the premise of the punchline depends on the controversial subject being OK, it fails at doing so, and I would agree with you.
For example, there is a huge difference between a joke that is funny because it predicates and reinforces a stereotype that “black people are X”, vs a joke that makes fun of the stereotype itself that “black people are X”. The latter is OK. Doesn’t mean everyone should find it funny. But it can certainly serve to ridicule the stereotype itself.
Which brings me to this:
No rape joke is funny, and harms rape victims by making light of their suffering.
Why do you think all of them “makes light of their suffering”? I would argue that it depends entirely on the joke, the context, and the punchline itself. The joke in question in the comic here, does no such thing. The joke is the classic “set up a expectation => subvert it”, and what it does, if anything, is bring attention to “rape happens”, and “rapists exist”. Awareness of that, is a good thing, no? Isn’t it more harmful to make rape tabu, almost as if pretending it doesn’t happen, and that rapists don’t exist?
Which is why I’d like to argue the exact opposite of what you suggest. And this to say that comedy is an extremely important mechanism, if used right, to bring attention to problems that should be talked about. Especially uncomfortable subjects. It can educate, bring awareness, and challenge stereotypes or established societal constructs. All subjects are therefore OK. It doesn’t mean all jokes are funny.
Did… you simply just downvote my comment, not address anything in it, and answer the hypothetical question? Did you even read it? No one is “forcing” anyone here. If you don’t understand a basic concept of human language and interaction… you won’t be able to identify what the actual problems are, which undermines efforts to improve the situation. Your complaints would be rightfully ignored.
It’s the same type of argument that suggests “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” should be banned, because it “forces” people who experience systemic racism to be exposed to it in a literary work. Again. Context fucking matters. People who don’t get that and complain, are either virtue signalling or attention seeking (or both), in either case, ignored to the benefit of all.
Imagine feeling so strongly about this, yet not understand why if anyone actually cared and listened to your opinion, it would make the very problem you want to address, worse. I’m not trying to convince you of anything either… I’m explaining the function of humour to address difficult to talk about topics. And you’re going “no! No one should talk about it in any other way than in the seriousness of which it is” lalalacanthearyou. “… well, people simply don’t talk about it then. Is that what you want?”. lalala.
You do you.
Whether or not you want to be wrong about this, is entirely up to you. It has no effect on me. I’m just trying to help you out here. Seems it really it’s of no interest to you, which means I’m just wasting my time. You might as well just move on. I certainly will. Have a good one.
The thing you seem to misunderstand is the difference between a joke, and the subject of a joke. The latter is of course not funny. But no children were harmed in the former.
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I think this is definitely true, but it doesn’t just blanket apply to any joke that mentions these topics. Jokes where people “pretend” to say sexist or abusive ideas, but the joke is that “I’m actually a nice person, I obviously don’t really mean this” (eg “no means yes, and yes means harder, amirite guys ;-)” or “if there’s grass on the wicket, it’s ready for cricket, lol”), can definitely be harmful even if not many that way. It normalises those attitudes, and can make abusers feel like they have more support from society than they really do. But in this comic the character comes across as a psychopath, proudly announcing something that is clearly wrong, and the other one calls the police. I don’t feel like anyone is getting some message that actually it’s totally normal to have sex with ten year olds…
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I get what you’re saying. But I also don’t think it is as clear cut as what you’re making it out to be. There has been cultural acceptance for things that shouldn’t be acceptable at. That’s still the case now. The nuances for jokes in this role, I’m sure are subject for more than one doctoral dissertation.
I also stand a little bit corrected, because I don’t mean that all jokes are OK. I think however that all subjects, are. When the premise of the punchline depends on the controversial subject being OK, it fails at doing so, and I would agree with you.
For example, there is a huge difference between a joke that is funny because it predicates and reinforces a stereotype that “black people are X”, vs a joke that makes fun of the stereotype itself that “black people are X”. The latter is OK. Doesn’t mean everyone should find it funny. But it can certainly serve to ridicule the stereotype itself.
Which brings me to this:
Why do you think all of them “makes light of their suffering”? I would argue that it depends entirely on the joke, the context, and the punchline itself. The joke in question in the comic here, does no such thing. The joke is the classic “set up a expectation => subvert it”, and what it does, if anything, is bring attention to “rape happens”, and “rapists exist”. Awareness of that, is a good thing, no? Isn’t it more harmful to make rape tabu, almost as if pretending it doesn’t happen, and that rapists don’t exist?
Which is why I’d like to argue the exact opposite of what you suggest. And this to say that comedy is an extremely important mechanism, if used right, to bring attention to problems that should be talked about. Especially uncomfortable subjects. It can educate, bring awareness, and challenge stereotypes or established societal constructs. All subjects are therefore OK. It doesn’t mean all jokes are funny.
Tl;dr: context matters.
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Did… you simply just downvote my comment, not address anything in it, and answer the hypothetical question? Did you even read it? No one is “forcing” anyone here. If you don’t understand a basic concept of human language and interaction… you won’t be able to identify what the actual problems are, which undermines efforts to improve the situation. Your complaints would be rightfully ignored.
It’s the same type of argument that suggests “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” should be banned, because it “forces” people who experience systemic racism to be exposed to it in a literary work. Again. Context fucking matters. People who don’t get that and complain, are either virtue signalling or attention seeking (or both), in either case, ignored to the benefit of all.
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Imagine feeling so strongly about this, yet not understand why if anyone actually cared and listened to your opinion, it would make the very problem you want to address, worse. I’m not trying to convince you of anything either… I’m explaining the function of humour to address difficult to talk about topics. And you’re going “no! No one should talk about it in any other way than in the seriousness of which it is” lalalacanthearyou. “… well, people simply don’t talk about it then. Is that what you want?”. lalala.
You do you.
Whether or not you want to be wrong about this, is entirely up to you. It has no effect on me. I’m just trying to help you out here. Seems it really it’s of no interest to you, which means I’m just wasting my time. You might as well just move on. I certainly will. Have a good one.
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deleted by creator
“Ya know, the Nazi’s had pieces of flair… They made the Jews wear them”