In light of the most recent public conversation around sexual assault, prompted by the New York Times’ report on the decades of allegations against Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein, we thought it would be useful to highlight writing on the topic of sexual assault and comedy.
Sexual assault remains a crisis in the comedy community that merits an ongoing discussion of the gender politics and ethics of humor and joking. What duty do comics have to combat not only rape culture, but racism, sexism, misogyny, and homophobia both on and offstage? Are there material consequences to offensive humor? How do we have a productive conversation about rape jokes? What can be done to create a comedy culture that doesn’t further oppress marginalized performers and fans? How do we move beyond a debate that pits “free speech” against “inclusivity”? Feel free to chime in on these issues or suggest additional reading in the comments.
Sexual Harassment in Comedy These are but two articles covering the ongoing issue of sexual harassment in the comedy community. While the articles are news reporting rather than think pieces or essays, they serve as an illustration of the ways in which comedy and humor have material implications for performers offstage. Are there ways that sexual assault plays out that are unique to comedy? Or are these examples just another iteration of a problem that touches all industries? In Chicago: Nina Metz, The Chicago Tribune, Women in Improv Comedy Detail a Culture of Sexual Harassment
In Los Angeles: Katie J.M. Baker, Buzzfeed, Standing Up to Sexual Harassment and Assault in LA's Comedy Scene
The “Rape Joke” Debate
An ongoing debate in comedy and a microcosm of a larger debate about the ethics of humor, the conversation about if one should make rape jokes, who should make them, and what they should look like tends to capture the attention of cultural critics, comics, and fans every few years. Here, authors wrestle with the implications of mining humor from trauma, be it your own or someone else’s.
Lindy West, Jezebel, How To Make a Rape Joke
Patton Oswalt, personal blog, A Closed Letter to Myself about Thievery, Heckling, and Rape Jokes
Katherine Leyton, Bitch Magazine, Laughing It Off: What Happens When Women Tell Rape Jokes?
Roxane Gay, Salon, Daniel Tosh and Rape Jokes: Still Not Funny
Rebecca Solnit, The Guardian, If Rape Jokes Are Finally Funny, It’s Because They’re Targeting Rape Culture.
Audrey White, Autostraddle, How Rape Jokes Sound Inside Queer Bodies
Audra Williams, The Daily Dot, When We Laugh at Rape Jokes About Black Girls, We’re Part of the Problem. Sady Doyle, Global Comment, Not So Funny Sam Morril’s Rape Jokes and Female Comedy Fans
Joe Faina, Humor in America, On Daniel Tosh, Rape Humor, and Artistic Integrity
Patricia Lockwood, The Awl, Rape Jokes
“Political Correctness,” Offensive Jokes, and Inclusivity
What responsibility do, or should, comics feel in writing and performing humor? Are empathy and decency antithetic to joking? Can we reframe these conversations in a new way?
Jason Zinoman, The New York Times, Political Correctness Isn’t Ruining Comedy. It’s helping
Rebecca Krefting, Political Correctness Isn't Killing Comedy, It's Making It Better
David Marchese, Vulture, In Conversation: John Cleese
Leah Mandel and Atoosa Moinzadeh, The Fader, Can Comedy Ever Be Truly Inclusive?
Stephanie Brown, In Media Res, That’s Not Funny! Cultural Capital and Comedic Critique
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Finally, let us all remind ourselves that the #MeToo social media campaign, in which
survivors are sharing experiences, expressing solidarity, finding comfort, and raising awareness of the enormity of the problem, is only the most recent incarnation of this type of activism. Indeed, this movement, while highlighted this week on social media by actress Alyssa Milano, was actually created by Tarana Burke, a black activist, nearly 10 years ago. Let’s not allow this issue to drop, but instead challenge ourselves to make material and meaningful changes to combat rape culture in comedy and in the academy.