What’s so funny about rape and Jerry Sandusky?
“Men joke about rape because it’s a distant, unpleasant reality. Women don’t joke about it because it is a real and horrific possibility. Either way, using humor can sometimes dispel the abhorrent nature of the act. But in Sandusky’s case, we’re not making a joke: society hopes he gets raped repeatedly and experiences even tiny bit of what he inflicted on his victims. “
Rape is never funny. Especially when it involves children. We toss it around almost too casually sometimes when men use it to bust another man’s balls. “You got raped in that fantasy football trade.” Or “the Broncos are going to rape the Chargers with a broom stick this weekend.” But even in jest, it’s still pretty bad form when you think of the violence and trauma involved for the victims. And even though we should all take a second before we use rape as an analogy, we all hope Jerry Sandusky gets raped in prison every day. It’s been the common refrain as the story unfolded and it was probably uttered even more yesterday as he was sentenced to 30-60 years in prison for his repeated sexual abuse of children while being sheltered by the creeps at Penn State. But is it ok to wish a horrible physical assault on someone who did the same to helpless victims?
I say yes.
A few people piped up and voiced their displeasure at the many rape jokes and references being thrown around regarding Sandusky. Rape, as mentioned before, isn’t a great topic for comedy: It’s violent and traumatic and really shouldn’t be the subject for jokes. Just ask Daniel Tosh. So it’s fair to say when someone talks about “getting raped” in a fantasy football matchup, it’s probably inappropriate. Men say it all the time because male rape isn’t as common as the attacks that occur to women, but they still happen and we should be aware of the sensitive nature surrounding it. We know male rape from prison movies. And since most of us don’t plan on going to prison, we can safely joke about that kind of rape, quietly hoping we never have to experience anything like that.
But in the case of Jerry Sandusky, it’s the only kind of real world justice the victims will receive. There may be lawsuits that develop out of the fact that Penn State harbored a known child molester, and while a monetary settlement may help ease some of the suffering these people have endured, they still have to live with that horror every day. Being happy in knowing that Sandusky will also live their horror every day may be barbaric, but it’s justice nonetheless. If I was the parent of one of these kids, I would like a shot at Sandusky with a baseball bat and a pair of pliers. But since that option isn’t available to anyone affected by this, knowing he’s going to be punished extracurricularly in the prison system is the next best thing.
Men joke about rape because it’s a distant, unpleasant reality. Women don’t joke about it because it is a real and horrific possibility. Either way, using humor can sometimes dispel the abhorrent nature of the act. But in Sandusky’s case, we’re not making a joke: society hopes he gets raped repeatedly and experiences even tiny bit of what he inflicted on his victims. It’s not a pleasant thought and can start to drag on the bottom of good taste, but knowing a child rapist is living a care free life behind bars would be unacceptable. We’ll forget all about Jerry Sandusky after awhile only to be reminded of him when he meets his end in the Pennsylvania prison system. But we should never forget what he did. We can all be a little more sensitive when talking about rape, but in Sandusky’s case, it’s perfectly fine to wish this upon him because it’s truly justice served.
