A version of this originally appeared as a comment on a Facebook post by Miri. Content warning for what it says on the tin.

Someone on Tumblr made a great point about this: I’m tired of trying to explain why rape jokes* aren’t funny. Why don’t you explain to me why they are?

* By which I don’t mean “jokes that reference rape in some way”; I mean “jokes in which the rape victim is the one being laughed at”

I can still remember the first time I heard a rape joke told aloud. It was when I was first getting to know a classmate of mine. At one point, he decided to ask me what the difference between sex and rape was. The answering punchline was “patience.” I not only laughed heartily, I made a show of how funny I found it.

I once was a loud-and-proud supporter of rape jokes because I was fresh out of fundamentalism, enjoyed “fail”-type humor, wanted men to approve of me, and despised attractive women. Continue reading “Why I Used to Laugh at Rape Jokes” →