We’ve all been told that people in our generation are too easily offended. Millennials often criticize other millennials and tell one another to grow a backbone and get over themselves. And to a point, I do feel that people my age are offended rather easily. Just relax, don’t take it personally, learn to take a joke, right? We’ve heard it all. But there are certain things that definitely should not be joked about. During my last couple of weeks on campus, I heard jokes about rape and sexual assault quite often.
People didn’t make blatant remarks like “haha sexual assault is funny,” but they didn’t realize their carelessness regarding the topic or how messed up their comments were. Someone would tackle their friend or sit on their lap and hug them, and the other person would squeal “raaaape!” One friend would grab the other person’s chest and say “I just sexually assaulted you,” and they both would laugh. A couple jokingly said that one person beats the other on a daily basis. All during finals week, I heard, “that test totally raped me.” I even remember passing by a lounge earlier this semester, where I heard a group of students discussing that rape apparently is nowhere near as bad for men as it is for women. I truly wish I would have stood up and said something during all of these instances, but I didn’t want anyone to tell me “relax, it’s just a joke."
But the thing is, it isn’t just a joke. Rape, sexual assault, and domestic violence are not laughing matters by any means. Why is it funny to glorify assault and abuse? There are so many other ways to crack jokes. There are so many words in the English language. Let’s steer clear of making these very serious topics into jokes. Victims of sexual assault, domestic violence, and rape have a hard enough time seeking help. Many of them don’t even seek help in the first place because they think they will be blamed for what happened, or they’re too embarrassed to get help or report what happened to them. Your careless jokes do not make it any easier for them to receive the help that they need and deserve. Both men and women are victims of these issues, regardless of race, age, or sexual orientation. You never know what people around you have experienced in their lives.
I’m not saying that we should all walk on eggshells, never make a joke again, and constantly worry about offending others. That’s not what I’m getting at. I’m saying that it’s just flat out disgusting and immature to make rape and abuse jokes. We should have enough common sense to know that it’s not funny.
