One could certainly argue that, in this day and age, sexual assault is finally getting the recognition it deserves as one of the most heinous crimes in the world. With the #MeToo movement allowing survivors to feel more comfortable calling out their assailants, and the Golden Globes becoming a night for Hollywood feminism to run rampant, it almost seems as though our society is owning up to its gruesome past.
Rape jokes are no longer tolerated by male comedians. Skeevy guys who target girls who are too drunk to consent are no longer comedic protagonists-- now they're the villains of Lifetime movies and dramatic Netflix Original Series.
This is wonderful. This is progress-- but when will it stop being funny for women to be rapists?
There are a million pop culture examples. In Harry Potter, Voldemort's mother drugging his father is certainly an example of lack of consent. Given, that's not played as a joke. It is however played as a tragedy-- in the favor of the woman in question.
When it comes to comedies, there are many examples: Abbi in Broad City is one that stands out. Seth Rogan guest stars in one episode as Abbi's love interest-- who she rapes. This is played for laughs, as "he seriously wanted it". Not kidding-- that's a real quote from the show. In the same episode, Abbi makes out with an under-aged boy.
Don't get me wrong-- on many levels, Broad City is a ground-breaking comedy that shatters gender norms and typical comedic expectations. But on this very specific topic; it's very far behind its time.
It wouldn't be okay or funny for a bro comedy to make the same jokes-- so we need to start holding female comediennes accountable at the same level as males.
On a show I don't watch, The Mindy Project, there was a similar "joke", in which the titular Mindy makes out with a man who is too drunk to consent, and she covers his mouth when he tries to protest.
The internet would be up-in-arms if men made these jokes. And, for the few niches online in which they do not subscribe to the TERF-like hypocrisy of selective feminism, they are angry about these scenes and jokes, which have been included in ill-taste.
I identify as a feminist and I am proud of this, but sometimes justice isn't properly distributed. Sexual assault will never be funny to me. I vote that we hold comedians of all genders to the same standard when it comes to rape jokes-- they are not funny. They are not appropriate. Hopefully, one day, the world will be in agreement on this simple moral.
