brainless_fps_player said:
While I agree with your point, I disagree that the videos are not funny because:
1 they made me laugh, and I've not been bombarded with this kind of humor at all, and
2 they aren't laughing at rape, although rape is included. They are laughing at the ridiculous fears of Americans and Aquaman respectively.
I agree that if the second video didn't have aquaman, it wouldn't be funny. It would just be rape.
I would say, though, that shows like South Park are important for challenging perceived limits that society imposes, which often mean topics don't get broached, like not giving kids sex education and acting surprised when they get pregnant later.
Alright, I'll admit that I may have been making a broad generalization with the "bombarded with this kind of humor" thing. Fair enough, since that is wrong of me.
_However I would agree with you if it wasn't for two things in the videos. The first video had Peter's assailant throwing him onto a pinball machine, which is a reference to a movie called "The Accused" and it's infamous sequence of a woman being brutally gang raped against a pinball machine. Making light of something that was so horrific in the context of the movie (which was all about the raping and the court trials following it) is as tasteless as making a reference to "Deliverance" ("Squeal like a pig" is a line that is literally said right as a man is raped) or the rape sequence in "Irreversible". None of these scenes are meant to be funny at all, and all of them are painfully serious and realistic. Making a reference to it during a joke ruins the joke and alludes to the idea that rape is funny.
_And before anyone else tries to argue against that: Why else would anyone reference the rape scenes in Deliverance or The Accused? Many believe the idea that a man telling another man to squeal like a pig while raping him is funny, and many actually believe same sex rape is funny (lots of prison rape jokes for both sexes, especially male). It is not funny, and that goes for any kind of rape. Look it up on TVtropes if you think this isn't an issue in our culture.
But even then some will say "Everyone has different ideas of comedy". I guess some people actually think referencing those scenes as/in a joke is fine. That's gross to me, but whatever. How about the second video?
Firstly, rape didn't need to be involved. Any crime would've done the job. But aside from that my real point is made right at the end of the video when Aquaman says, "Yeah, well you shouldn't have led him on."
...That's not funny. It also turns the focus of the joke from Aquaman being considered useless for crimes on land to the rape itself, since as you begin laughing at Aquaman but then find yourself laughing/confused about whether to laugh at the fact that
A) he put the blame on her, even if it's because he can't help/is being somewhat berated by the victim for not actually helping (Aquaman isn't a fish that needs water, anyway. He can walk on land and help, but whatever)
Or B) his saying "you shouldn't have led him on" is a clear indication he's giving up. ...Meaning he won't try anymore. ...Meaning he's leaving her to be raped.
_It's these things that ruin any kind of joke that was originally being made. When Peter is raped by a bull, the joke is rape. The difference? It's a bull. And he's a man. ...Funny? I
guess it depends on the individual, though that's kinda...stretching the notion "it depends on the individual" quite a bit to me. Then of course you have South Park, which I will admit has some HILARIOUS episodes. It's also painful to watch for me because I can see actual talent for comedy from the people working on it. Yet, for every episode that is well done or even poignant there's two-to-three episodes devoted to nothing but bashing on religion, often times the Old and New Testament. They've literally gone entire shows just hacking away, segregating their fanbase under the guise of "everything should be able to be made fun of, or nothing should be". They use it as an excuse to make horrendously mean-spirited jokes, and that's the bottom line. That idea is an excuse, just like when a show has a character spout racist, sexist, homophobic, and just downright rancid opinions for shock value (or whatever value they see in it), and then have another character say "You shouldn't say that!" or smack the insulting character. It's not clever. It's an excuse, a cover used by writers and comedians so they can do and say whatever they want without the fear of people going, "
Hey, wait a minute...!"
Still, if someone believes in something that doesn't harm another then there's no reason to try and change their beliefs. If you still feel the way you did after I further explained my position then I'll agree to disagree. I get the feeling you're being genuine and not the kind of troll who'd laugh in the face of the disabled or make Nazi waves to passing Jewish folk, so I'll stop. No hard feelings, and thank you for responding the way you did and giving me a chance to better explain my idea that many don't agree with. I assume there's others who do, but I've seen that many don't.
OH! And another opinion I forgot to say: I believe abortion is wrong, but under certain circumstances (like a rape victim who finds they are pregnant) it should not be impeded. I could get into why but I won't since that's more obvious.
