Which of these rape jokes is funnier?

[Cruzan]

Oh, well. Guess I haven't been paying attention.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/16/arts/television/female-comedians-are-confidently-breaking-taste-taboos.html

[seabeyond]

1. i didnt like silverman before this article.

“Who’s going to complain about rape jokes? Rape victims?” she asked. “They barely even report rape.”

[Aerows]

20. I don't even know what to say about this, either

She crossed the line with this bs.

I like her, though.

[seabeyond]

34. every once in a while she would throw something in that made me smile. mostly, she was flat.

but then, i have never been into the comedian that works for cheap laughs with offensive than clever. clay was another that did not do it for me.

[Aerows]

43. Cheap is a good way to describe it. n/t

[ellisonz]

2. She makes them because she's not funny in the first place.

[No Joe]

8. Amen to that!

Another overrated moron.

[Taverner]

3. ANYTHING can be funny

What did Carlin say? Bugs Bunny raping Porky Pig?

It's all about context. There are no sacred cows.

[seabeyond]

13. yes. there are. nt

[Taverner]

95. Name one

Granted, when you joke about a touchy subject, context and situation have to be the primary concern

Here's an example - you may have heard this before:

A bear and a rabbit are taking a dump in the woods. The bear goes to the rabbit and asks "Do you have a problem with shit sticking to your fur?"

The rabbit says "no I don't"

So the bear wipes his ass with the rabbit.

[Odin2005]

18. I dare you to tell a rape joke to a friend of mine.

She'll run you over in her wheelchair for giving her horrible flashbacks! :grr:

[quinnox]

24. Really?

So if someone made a joke about a friend or loved one of yours dying, you would find that funny? I'm just amazed at the sweeping nature of your statement that anything can be funny.

[Nye Bevan]

29. If my late father was here now, I would say.......

"Dad! You're dead! What are you doing here?"

See, I find that funny, even though my father is really dead. Does that make me evil?

[quinnox]

30. No, but take this scenario

You have a child, boy or girl, and they are dying of cancer and someone makes a joke about them dying and laughs to your face. Would you find that funny?

[Nye Bevan]

32. Timing and delivery is key (nt)

[quinnox]

33. alright, how about this, someone makes a racist joke about President

Obama, could you find that funny, if the delivery and timing were perfect? (Why do I get the feeling you won't say yes on this one)

[Romulox]

85. Who made the joke? Dave Chappell? I would give Dave the benefit of the doubt and THINK

about what he was trying to accomplish with the joke before I assumed the worst. One thing with brilliant comics--their jokes can be multi layered, aimed at themselves and the audience and society and all three at once.

So I would give the joke some real thought if the likes of Dave told it. That would likely be AFTER I got done laughing my ass off.

[Taverner]

96. I got a racist joke for you:

What do you call a black guy flying an airplane?

A PILOT! WHAT ARE YOU A FUCKING RACIST?????


:evilgrin:

[Taverner]

36. Context! All is context!

I never said rape is always funny, or that it could always be funny

[Taverner]

90. I didn't say it would be funny, just that it could

Let me put it this way: My mom had a good friend who died. She was in her 70s, lived hard, had a good life. At her funeral, her service REQUIRED any euologies to be started, and finished with a Wee Dram of Scotch. That's funny.

[rbnyc]

28. I agree...

Comedy is a wonderful mechanism for exploring deep issues that are often scary and painful. Treated with the art of humor, I think nothing is off limits. The thing is, it's a delicate art. There are subjects that require masterful treatment. A bad joke on a benign topic is just a bad joke, but a bad joke about rape, incest, racism, murder, genocide or famine - well that's an offense.

Here's the other tricky thing, even a masterful comedic artist doesn't always create masterful comedy. Like any artist, comedians have to allow themselves to produce bad material. Therefore, they take incredible risks when tackling taboo subjects. It's a brace, exposed and vulnerable way of life.

To answer the OP's question, I thought the first rape joke was funny. The second, not so much. It just wasn't that good of a joke.

[Tom Ripley]

70. I agree with everything in your post (couldn't have said it better myself)

[rbnyc]

93. Thanks.

Nice to hear.

:toast:

[Johonny]

82. but not everyone has a sense of humor

you can tell jokes about anything. Many comedians have made careers by telling tasteless ill timed humor, however standards in society are often set by the touchiest of members. This is because they write to the FCC and the editorial boards of newspapers. People who laugh don't complain and worse many don't want to admit to laughing at tasteless humor in public. You can tell a funny joke, but pick the wrong time and like Gilbert Gottfried find yourself out of an easy money gig. Comedy you live by the sword and you can die by it. Even Carlin backed off his statement about anything being funny when asked about it on the tonight show. Even edgy has its limits according to Carlin.

[MADem]

4. Very edgy stuff--but Sarah Silverman has been at that for a long, long time.

Not much shocks me anymore, though I still can be surprised.

I think I've been desensitized in recent decades.

[Odin2005]

17. "Edgy" has jumped the shark.

[Aerows]

21. No kidding

She's edgy all right, but this is messed up.

[MADem]

23. I'm surprised that people are surprised by this, coming from her.

She makes Andrew Dice Clay look like a choirboy, and she always has. I get the sense most people are only familiar with her Comedy Central work. She's always been WAY more "gross" (but I suppose that is a passe` term as well) in her live act.

That's why I said I'm unsurprised these days--I heard her years ago, and got over the shock then, I guess.

[Aerows]

37. I didn't know

Now I do.

[Aerows]

40. She's a Sagittarius, and we tend to be rough

Not an excuse, though.

[MADem]

22. What's the "cool kids" word, then? Do edify me. nt

[Aerows]

38. Waiting for it, as well n/t

[Odin2005]

88. I meant that the drive to be "edgy" has burned itself out and has become crap.

Nowdays, "edgy" makes people think you are an asshole or a depressive Emo. "Geek-Chic" is the new in-thing.

[MADem]

92. Well, I guess Sarah Silverman started out being edgy when edgy was the cool word!

She's been at this stuff for nearly two decades now. She looks much younger than her years.

[ieoeja]

5. "est" not "er"

And I'll go with this one by Amy Schumer who said she slept with her "high school crush" then paused.

"But now he expects me to go to his graduation."


...






...






...





...




"Like I know what I'm going to be doing in three years," she added.

[redqueen]

10. Amy Schumer is one I'll be watching for...

I caught her act from a roast... she had me chuckling all right.

[MrSlayer]

6. I like dark humor.

The sicker, the better.

[dawg]

7. Some things just aren't funny.

Some of these women may be lovely people in real life, but I don't like their personas at all.

[A-Schwarzenegger]

9. I shudder when I think of the humor of the future.

:*

[aikoaiko]

11. There can be humor in any topic -- but not every joke is actually funny.

And its darn near impossible for some topics to be the punch line of humor.

But still, I respect comedians for trying.

edited to add: Full disclosure. Sarah Silverman makes me laugh and groan.

[dmallind]

12. Frankie Boyle's are better. nt

[ellisonz]

14. Agreed.

Tramadol Nights is epic.

[msanthrope]

15. Male reporter describes Female as "lanky and loose-limbed."

before he describes her mindset, her intelligence, or any other characteristic about her.

Fuck him.

[EOTE]

46. I think he was doing that to show the connection to Sarah Silverman.

I don't think it was because he is more concerned with her looks than anything else.

[seabeyond]

48. except it is about 100% done to females and not at all to men. reality

a bitch

or bury head in sand

[EOTE]

50. That's right. Nobody ever describes a male using his physical appearance.

Reality a bitch, indeed.

[seabeyond]

52. if they discuss a males phyiscal appearance it is in action terms. not fuckablility. nt

[EOTE]

55. You're listening to the wrong conversations, then.

Hell, I've even been subject to this treatment, while in front of a number of women. You're wearing blinders if you think that women don't describe men in terms of fuckability. It's actually laughable.

[seabeyond]

57. eote, just not surprising you choose to bury head in sand. it is consistent. nt

[EOTE]

61. Not surprising that you'd respond to something which is undeniable with nonsensical jibberish.

It is consistent.

[seabeyond]

66. not surprising you bring that bullshit back when pretty much everyone knows the reality of this. nt

[EOTE]

69. The reality is that women ALSO make comments on the appearance of men.

Often times to comment on their "fuckability" as you so eloquently put it. If you don't think that's the case, you have more than just your head in the sand. I'd venture to say that you're thinking with an entirely different part of your body. As it is, I'd be extremely surprised if any mind were able to so consistently put forth such a random assortment of uncompleted thoughts and consider it to be a post.

[seabeyond]

73. writers ALWAYs start with mens fuckability? really? hm.... nt

[EOTE]

79. I'm afraid I didn't say that at all. Must have been one of your ether based hallucinations.

I said that women also make comments on the fuckability of men. As to your comment above, you really need to have some context before making it. Because no one in that article made ANY comment about anyone's fuckability. That's simply your overactive imagination giving you something to think about again.

[redqueen]

84. Ho-lee schnikeys!

Someone is actually claiming that? :spray:

Ask for examples, that should be amusing! :D

[EOTE]

No, no one claimed that.

But it helps to have a very active imagination to create strawmen like that so they can be easily torn down.

[Odin2005]

89. That's annoying.

Same with most of the female news anchors being bottle-blondes with big boobs. UGH!

[Odin2005]

16. My opinion of her has just dropped by a lot.

:(

[Aerows]

19. Wow

Horrible.

[Romulox]

25. This is Sarah's schtick. I've followed her for 20 years now.

I still kinda love her.

[TorchTheWitch]

26. there is never anything funny about violent crime

Rape jokes are not funny. They're sick and demonstrate an appalling lack of empathy. Your thread title is just as grotesque and likewise demonstrates an appalling lack of empathy.

[quinnox]

27. + a million

Anyone who made a joke of this nature would immediately go into my "what a slimy scumbag" department.

Hell, I might even physically punch them if I heard something like this in my presence to be honest, it would be hard to restrain myself.

[Aerows]

39. Exactly n/t

[Nye Bevan]

31. Many posters in this thread seem to want very safe, non-offensive humor.

To these posters I say: tune in to Jay Leno at 11:30 each night.

DON'T watch Sarah Silverman. Don't listen to Howard Stern. And for God's sake DON'T go to "The Book of Mormon" on Broadway.

[Odin2005]

91. Rape jokes aren't funny.

Such things can trigger the PTSD flashbacks in any rape victims in the audience.

[Nye Bevan]

94. Different people have different senses of humor.

You would probably be horrified by George Carlin, Lenny Bruce, or Richard Pryor. And that's fine. Stick with what you enjoy.

[Donald Ian Rankin]

35. Don't conflate "offensive" and "unfunny".

It's just as possible to make *funny* jokes about rape or other offensive subjects as about anything else.

If you're going to make a case against doing so, it needs to be "this will offend and/or distress people", not trying to claim "this isn't funny" when audience numbers suggest that other people think that it is.

[Rebubula]

41. Humor has always been on the edge

Anyone that thinks that this type of humor is new - needs to see The Aristocrats



Sometimes we use humor to make things less dark and scary---sometimes just to hurt---sometimes the two get mixed up a bit



My humor may not be funny to someone else - some folks still think Lenny Bruce was the anti-christ.

[seabeyond]

42. kinda like we laughed so hard when repug said with rape... lay back and enjoy it.

had us all bustin up

oh wait... agenda and hypocrisy

[LanternWaste]

44. You're right. No two ways about it.

You're right. No two ways about it.

We defend those things we find abhorrent when said by an ally, and decry those very words when said by an opponent. Vulgar is as vulgar laughs.

[seabeyond]

45. Vulgar is as vulgar laughs. right on. and the normalization and manstreaming the vulgar

not to mention the hair on fire deman that we must all assept the vulgarity. nothing beyond that. no buts, if.... just accept it. this is our world.

or

then the list of name calling to shame a person

[EOTE]

47. That wasn't a joke, just a sick and offensive comment. NT

[seabeyond]

49. no. he was telling a joke to another man/men. and they all laughed. and we got outraged. nt

[EOTE]

53. They may have laughed, but it still wasn't a joke.

Republicans will laugh at just about anything if it confirms their world view. Jokes tend to have punchlines. This wasn't a joke, it was just a sick comment. What part were we supposed to laugh at? Lay back and take it? I'll laugh at a joke if it's funny. That comment was neither funny, nor a joke.

[seabeyond]

58. i gave the end of the joke. yes, it was a joke. but hey, excuses. i hear ya. nt

[EOTE]

60. OK, if it was a joke (it wasn't), then it was a really fucking stupid joke.

Do you think it's hypocrisy to laugh at funny jokes and not laugh at really fucking stupid ones? It would seem that you do. You might want to look up the word "hypocrisy". And then look up "cogent" after that.

[redqueen]

54. I think as long as it's done with the right agenda behind it,

it can be funny... when Richard Pryor 'joked' about racism, it was actually eye-opening for many people... revealing of prejudices and racism in society.

Same with jokes about any other bad thing, IMO.

Most often, though, it's simply for cheap laughs and not thought provoking at all... just shocking things said for shock value.

[MellowDem]

51. The point of humor is lost on some...

Anything can be a joke. That doesn't mean some people won't find it funny or may even find it offensive. But then again, that's not the point of humor.

Sometimes humor points out terrible realities. Joking about something doesn't mean you agree with it. It can mean just the opposite in fact.

[Romulox]

56. Sarah Silverman is a VERY smart woman; she's no Andrew Dice Clay. Is her joke too subtle

for some? :shrug:

Here's a hint: she is NOT making fun of rape survivors. Not even a little bit.

[seabeyond]

59. the people that laugh at it, ya, too subtle. the people that "get it" there goes the funny. nt

[EOTE]

62. LOL. Wut? NT

[Romulox]

63. Ummm.... ? nt

[EOTE]

64. You can think of those posts as kind of a fortune cookie.

Written by a 9 year old Chinese girl and then translated via Babelfish.

[Romulox]

71. You never know--I know many people for whom English is a second language.

I would NEVER make fun of them for their verbal quirks. But I also wouldn't ask their permission before laughing at wordplay, either. :shrug:

[EOTE]

74. I'm fairly certain that English is her first, and only language.

If it's not, I've got a lot of apologizing to do :)

[Romulox]

83. C'est impossible! nt

[Tom Ripley]

77. + 1,000,000

[Morning Dew]

81. +1

That joke has a huge bite.

[Tuesday Afternoon]

98. +1

[Romulox]

65. SARAH IS MAKING FUN OF THE IDEA THAT THE OFFICIAL RAPE STATS. ARE TRUE INDICATORS

OF THE PREVALENCE OF RAPE IN OUR SOCIETY, AND THAT THE RELUCTANCE OF SURVIVORS TO COME FORWARD IN CERTAIN CIRCUMSTANCES MEANS THAT THE CRIMES COMMITTED AGAINST THEM DIDN'T THEREFORE HAPPEN; SHE DOESN'T REALLY THINK SHE SHOULD MAKE MORE JOKES AT RAPE SURVIVORS EXPENSE.

I'm sorry for the shouting, and I think the joke is working on more levels than just the foregoing. But the point seems to have completely swooshed by several such that now anyone even daring to defend Silverman is making "har har rape jokes!". Just. Not. So.

[seabeyond]

68. people who get that is what she is saying, cannot think it is funny. the people that laugh at her

joke are clueless to what she is really saying.

[EOTE]

72. LOL. I got a huge chuckle hearing you talk about people not getting it.

Talk about the pot calling the kettle a cooking utensil. Just so you're aware, I both "get" what Sarah Silverman is saying and I think she's the funniest woman comic out there. If there was anyone I was utterly convinced did not "get" her humor, it's you. You think that telling a woman to lay back and take rape is a joke. I think you need to go back to comedy school.

[seabeyond]

75. vulgar is.... nt

[EOTE]

80. Wow! Congratulations! That's not even a sentence fragment!

You've outdone yourself this time around.

[Romulox]

76. It's not so much LOL funny as it is pointed. Lots of humor is like that. nt

[redqueen]

78. But there's a group dynamic involved...

the setting/context involves humor. This is the kind of humor that makes you laugh first, along with everyone else... all good fun, and then you think.

It's true that some survivors may be in her audience and be hurt or upset... that is a risk she takes to open the eyes of many others... to make them think about the facts behind rape statistics, and the fact that so many women don't report it.

Most people don't even think about this stuff, let alone talk about it... it's unpleasant to face... easier to just accept it... to think that it just 'is', and think 'oh well, it's too bad but what can you do'.

I see this as her way of pushing it in people's faces, and I have to say I'm in favor of it.

[seabeyond]

86. like i said in the first post. i have never been a fan. i watched her a handful

of times and more than not she came off flat. i haev watched her in public service and read interviews. i am a little more impressed with her in those areas.

my husband is a big comedy channel fan. we play comedy u.s.a. for hours, on our trips. over 90% of the comedians i enjoys. there are only a few i dont. she is one. clay dice another. when he was the flav or the month, i couldnt stomach him

[redqueen]

87. I never liked clay either...

and I don't even know much about Silverman... but these two jokes seemed to me to be more pointed than mocking or just shocking for shock value. Maybe I'm wrong.

I just wanted to make the case for humor that is intended to raise awareness, that's all... it seemed to me that that's what these jokes were about so I thought I'd just explain my thoughts on it... I completely understand why many would find her material offensive and I have no issue... just wanted to clarify why others who also don't think rape is a joke might not be offended by the same material.

[Tom Ripley]

67. I knew this was going to be about the divine Ms Silverman AKA the best working comic

[EOTE]

97. She's definitely one of them.

She's also an excellent gauge to determine if a particular person has a sense of humor. I pop in "Jesus is Magic" often when I need a pick me up.