UNITED STATES
The Good Men Project
May 18, 2015 by Christopher M. Anderson
Comedians, if it’s not too much trouble – can you please stop using me and millions of other rape and sexual abuse survivors as a punch line?
I mean, come on Louis C.K. – do you think that just because you allowed your character to be raped on your show (perhaps more than once) that somehow you could get away with comparing pedophilia to your love of candy on Saturday Night Live this past weekend?
And hey- everyone at Saturday Night Live (especially you Pete Davidson, Cecily Strong, and Keenan Thompson)- don’t for a second try to pass off that Teacher Trial skit last month as some kind of piercing commentary on Barbara Walters’ recent interview of child rapist Mary Kay LaTourneau. It was nothing more than a shameless and unapologetic reinforcement of every toxic stereotype of male sexual victimization.
Look – I’m not trying to call for a ban on all rape jokes. I actually think the “Football Town Nights” piece from this season’s Inside Amy Schumer was masterfully done (and the rare exception that proves the rule that rape isn’t comedic). And I’m not saying we should not speak of these matters ever – far from it. Rape and sexual assault thrive on silence.
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