Sexual Assault Jokes About Sexual Abuse

[Deleted member 26920]

Something that upsets me a great deal more than it should is the humorous air surrounding the sexual abuse of children. I'll often hear hear comments such as: "Take your pants off little girl!" or "Molestation!! Haha!." made by people living in the sheltered realm of suburbia and it really confuses me; I don't understand the humor at all. What's so funny about the prospect of a child's innocence being stripped from him or her, or the problems he or she will face down the road? I doubt it will be as amusing when it's your daughter, hmm?

On occasion, I will make a joke pertaining to that content, but never is it ever the butt of my joke. The punch line of my joke is my pathetic attempts to deal with my past, never just my past. Part of me feels like this is just another way the more privileged portion of the population avoids the dreaded "A" word (no, not *sshole), keeping it as far away from them as humanly possible by turning it into something that does not exist, something distant enough to joke about. But mostly it just makes me angry.


Sorry for the rant- I'm in a rotten mood tonight.

 

[Barberian]

In my book, molestation, rape or pedophilia jokes are off limits. If I hear someone say something in an attempted joke on that topic, I stand my ground and challenge them. I tell them IMO it is absolutely unacceptable. I see it often in online games. I then report it to the game masters (people who work for the game's company and police the game and help people having problems).

If it is an attempt at humor by someone who has themselves been raped or molested I am understanding though. It is just their way of trying to deal with it, and I would never confront or condemn them about it unless it was just uncalled for.

I was molested as a kid by a man. It wasn't a bad experience on the scale (I've written about it elsewhere on this forum), but it did mess with my head, and identity for a long time. I've always been "straight", but I was very homophobic and hateful for a long time. I've had female friends who have been raped under different circumstances (date rape, drugged/intoxicated, family), it hurt them for life. I don't find this funny in any way.

 

[anthony]

Yup, can't say I have actually had anyone around me who made fun of rape or molestation.

 

[Meadowsweet]

Part of me feels like this is just another way the more privileged portion of the population avoids the dreaded "A" word (no, not *sshole), keeping it as far away from them as humanly possible by turning it into something that does not exist, something distant enough to joke about.

Sadly, I think you're right on this one.

In the UK there has been a big ongoing investigation into sex offenses committed by famous people in the 70's and 80's, because of the prolific pedophilia of the childrens entertainer Jimmy Saville.

In some ways it's good that it's in the spotlight and people can see just how much sex offenders can con everyone and get away with it. But on the other hand, I found it excruciatingly painful and more isolating than ever, to hear people's shallow sympathy for the victims, and the light-hearted jokes that enable others to get on with their lives and turn a blind eye, while the children involved go on dealing with the reality.

 

[Caterpillar]

I've seen some of those jokes in online gaming communities. They're disgusting, and luckily my family and friends have the same reaction.

One thing that never fails to p*ss me off is when people say "Oh, if someone raped my sister/girlfriend/friend, I would <insert something dumb and heroic>". No, unless you've been there you really don't know what you would do. You think you do, but then you're in the actual situation and suddenly there are no simple answers, no right words or actions. I know people just say this because they're naive, that they mean well and are trying to show that rape disgusts them, but I always feel indicted, like I wasn't a "good enough" supporter.

More rarely, I've seen people say "If I were raped, I would X", usually involving criticism of people who don't report. Again, you really don't know what you would do unless you've been there.

It's just a subject where people are better off keeping their mouths shut unless they actually know where of they're speaking.