In Wednesdays reading, Halberstam mentioned that, "humor is something that feminists in particular, but radical politics in general, are accused of lacking" (Halberstram, 2014).
In today's discussion class, my group had a very insightful talk in regards to the usage of jokes when speaking out on sexual assault. I personally do not agree with Halberstam as I do not see the awareness of sexual assault through jokes affective since it demeans the actually matter. I see jokes as diverting the issue from a space where language could be created to raise awareness and understanding to a space where people can laugh, have a good time and overlook the issue.
Yet, throughout our discussion, we did mention how some survivor's may use the coping mechanism of humour as a way to enlighten their trauma. This reminded me of an article that I previously read, where a comedian was conveying her sexual assault experience through humour, and the audience and her friend would laugh at the story, even though it is a severe issue. Her friend then confessed how guilty she felt afterwards and the survivor responded with,
"But I gave you permission to laugh!" ..."She explained that by telling the joke, she felt she was controlling how people reacted to her experience while simultaneously negotiating her own feelings about the incident. She found it therapeutic" (Stapp, 2013).
So this makes me question, is it only survivors who are allowed to use humour in regards to sexual assault? If they do, then is it still addressing the problem or is it just a form of self-care?
Further, changing the roles and having a perpetrator, or at least for this case, an "accused" perpetrator make jokes about sexual assault truly angers me as it reinforces the rape culture. Recently, Bill Cosby, a well-known actor who is accused of multiple counts of sexual assault had a stand-up show in London, Ontario where he was offered a drink by an audience member. "Cosby reportedly replied, "I already have one," pointing to a bottle of water next to him on stage, and added, "You have to be careful about drinking around me" (Nessif, 2015). This resulted in cheering and laughter from the audience, which demonstrates the devaluation of sexual assault as the audience supported a perpetrator and laughed at the unlawful actions he committed.
Indefinitely, I believe there to be a grey line between who can and who cannot make jokes about sexual assault. I do not wish to impede in someone's healing process, but the majority of the time, humour is used in settings where perpetrators can rectify their thoughts and actions. This leads me to continue to be certain of my personal opinion in which I do not believe humour should be utilized in crucial issues like sexual assault as it further encourages the rape culture. Yet, I do believe in various forms of self-care so who am I to tell a survivor to not use humour because of my personal opinions? Ugh, I just am left with so many contradicting feelings and thoughts that cannot seem to measure up to a conscious decision.
I think that you and I are on the same page! There's a significant difference between people unaffected by sexual assault making jokes about it, and those who have been affected by it, making jokes about it. It means something different. However, it only means something difference if the audience receiving the joke understands that. Often, that's not the case. Much of the time, jokes that are meant to be healing, poke fun at dominant cultures, or to spread awareness are absorbed into dominant culture as an affirmation of strongly held prejudices. This can be concerning, but it doesn't have to be. For example, a comedian can be concerned about the stigmas that her jokes are helping to spread, or she could decide she doesn't care and continue doing what she loves, how she loves it, for the people who it is aimed at and who will appreciate it for what it really is. So, humor can be helpful while also being harmful, and that's unfortunate. But I think it's important that people can express their hurt in whatever way works best for them.
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