I don’t know if it’s just me because I’m a sexual assault survivor but I don’t think there’s anything funny about rape. There’s nothing funny about someone forcing another person to have sex with them. There’s nothing funny about being stripped of your basic dignity and rights.
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been out with my friends in a group and someone casually makes a rape joke. In the past, when this used to happen I would get all tense. Freeze up. Look at the floor. Stop breathing. And relive the experience. And there I was back in the arms of my rapist.
One moment I could be out with my friends having a good time and someone had to ruin it with a joke about rape.
How rape jokes make rape victims feel: like they are worthless. Like what happened to them is a joke. Your hot second of laughter is worth a multitude of flashbacks for me. Your joke could take a good day and turn it into a bad one, more like a good week and turn it into a bad week.
I remember being in the elevator at school one time and someone asked: “how’s the basketball game?” “Oh they’re raping us, a guy casually responded.” And everyone continued through this conversation as if this was okay.
I've heard other things like "oh that test just raped me."
From now on when I hear someone make a rape joke I’m not going to stand there and pretend I didn’t hear it. I’m going to call them out, and you should too. There is nothing funny about rape and there never will be so stop treating is like it’s a joke.