I didn't have an opinion outside of the obvious disgust and annoyance about the Daniel Tosh rape joke situation until recently. Daniel Tosh is a moron whose sense of humor appeals to the absolute lowest common denominator. People who like Daniel Tosh probably don't read books, don't vote, and loved American Pie 2. It would be impossible for me to ever get high enough to enjoy an episode of Tosh.0 because I would die. I've never seen it, but clearly the guy's standup isn't much better. He gets "heckled" and all he can pull out of his ass as a retort is "wouldn't it be funny if you got gang raped." Hilarious. Clever. Witty. He's a regular fucking Oscar Wilde.
What's bummed me out is Louis C.K.'s response to the whole thing. The Tweet stuff is utter crap, and there have always been a few jokes in Louis C.K.'s standup that have made me uncomfortable, but he is one of the most intelligent, critically thinking comedians I've ever heard and it's a bummer to have someone you really like and respect sort of write what's become a really important conversation off as everyone overreacting.
I mean, how amazing would it be to have a stand up of Louis C.K.'s caliber come out and say something like, "In light of all that's gone on and everything that I've learned about rape and rape culture, I no longer feel that I can comfortably make rape jokes. I shall rape joke no more forever." If all it took for Jay Z to stop using the word "bitch" in his work is to have a daughter, you'd think actually learning about something would make someone like Louis C.K. or even Daniel Tosh think twice about what they're saying.
Here's the bottom line: If you have a female in your life, be that female your mother, your sister, your child, your girlfriend, your wife or your friend, you should be taking rape and sexual assault so seriously that it's impossible for you to find rape jokes lighthearted or humorous. You should be offended. There's a good chance that no matter how close you think you are to someone, they're not going to tell you about how they were hooted at or followed home one day and how afraid that made them feel. There's a good chance they're not going to tell you about the time they got drunk at a party and fell asleep and woke up with someone groping them. There's a good chance that one of the women in your life has an even worse story than that and there's a good chance you will never hear it. Rape and sexual assault happen, and they happen to people that you care about, respect and love.
There are millions of things in the world that are funny, and if you insist on being controversial and off color, you're in luck because there's plenty of that, too. Poop is funny. Farts are funny. Periods are funny. Penises are pretty funny, but animal penises are hilarious. My friends and I are really tickled by smegma lately. Write jokes about smegma, it's even a funny word! But enough rape jokes.