Saturday, July 14, 2012

Comedian Daniel Tosh - Rape jokes



Comedian Daniel Tosh is currently in hot water because of a rape tirade he recently went on at the Laugh Factory in West Hollywood, California.

This was supposed to be another night at the Laugh Factory but as fate would have it, there was a lady in the audience who wasn't feeling his rape jokes and felt inclined to blurt out, "actually, rape is never funny" , (cookiesblog) .

And Daniel Tosh being the comedian he is, he immediately attacked his heckler and then suggested that she should be raped by 5 guys in the club.

Below is this ladies blog account of what happened and below that is my response:

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Blog entry from, "Cookies From Breakfast Blog" .

So a Girl Walks into a Comedy Club….

This is something that happened to a friend of mine in her own words.

“So, on Friday night my friend and I were at her house and wanted to get out and do something for the evening. We brainstormed ideas and she brought up the idea of seeing a show at the Laugh Factory. I’d never been, I thought it sounded fun, so we went. We saw that Dane Cook, along some other names we didn’t recognize we’re playing, and while we both agree that Cook’s style is not really our taste we were opened-minded about what the others had to offer. And we figured even good ol’ Dane can be funny sometimes, even if it’s not really our thing. Anyhoo, his act was actually fine, but then when his was done, some other guy I didn’t recognize took the stage. Of course, I would find out later this was Daniel Tosh, but at the time I thought he was just some yahoo who somehow got a gig going on after Cook. I honestly thought he was an amateur because he didn’t seem that comfortable on stage and seemed to have a really awkward presence.

So Tosh then starts making some very generalizing, declarative statements about rape jokes always being funny, how can a rape joke not be funny, rape is hilarious, etc. I don’t know why he was so repetitive about it but I felt provoked because I, for one, DON’T find them funny and never have. So I didnt appreciate Daniel Tosh (or anyone!) telling me I should find them funny. So I yelled out, “Actually, rape jokes are never funny!”

I did it because, even though being “disruptive” is against my nature, I felt that sitting there and saying nothing, or leaving quietly, would have been against my values as a person and as a woman. I don’t sit there while someone tells me how I should feel about something as profound and damaging as rape.

After I called out to him, Tosh paused for a moment. Then, he says, “Wouldn’t it be funny if that girl got raped by like, 5 guys right now? Like right now? What if a bunch of guys just raped her…” and I, completely stunned and finding it hard to process what was happening but knowing i needed to get out of there, immediately nudged my friend, who was also completely stunned, and we high-tailed it out of there. It was humiliating, of course, especially as the audience guffawed in response to Tosh, their eyes following us as we made our way out of there. I didn’t hear the rest of what he said about me.

Now in the lobby, I spoke with the girl at the will-call desk, and demanded to see the manager. The manager on duty quickly came out to speak with me, and she was profusely apologetic, and seemed genuinely sorry about what had happened, but of course we received no refund for our tickets, but instead a comped pair of tickets, although she admitted she understood if we never wanted to come back. I can imagine the Laugh Factory doesn’t really have a policy in place for what happens when a woman has to leave in a hurry because the person onstage is hurling violent words about sexual violence at her. Although maybe I’m not the first girl to have that happen to her.

I should probably add that having to basically flee while Tosh was enthusing about how hilarious it would be if I was gang-raped in that small, claustrophic room was pretty viscerally terrifying and threatening all the same, even if the actual scenario was unlikely to take place. The suggestion of it is violent enough and was meant to put me in my place.”

Please reblog and spread the word.


http://breakfastcookie.tumblr.com/post/26879625651/so-a-girl-walks-into-a-comedy-club
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Now heres what I have to say:

I'm sure most of you will hate me for this but the topic of rape is funny. It takes a very clever comedian to take a controversial subject and craft a laughable joke from cringey subjects such as the holocaust, abortions, death, child molestation, animal cruelty, anything sacriligious or the aforementioned topic.

On this night Daniel Tosh's rape joke probably wasn't funny because he was either working it out a new joke or his timing was off. But make no mistake about it, comedy will make people laugh at the most dastardly tragic events that life has to offer, which is why in some cultures humor is considered sacred because it offers a healing element.

At various times in my life I kept hearing this same statement fashioned with different words, "______ is never funny" .

Well I got news for everyone, these contoversial topics are funny because if done right, these jokes can ilicit the big laughing response that comedians expect of them, and for the most part comedy club crowds know where they're at, they're in it for the suspension and disbelief, they are there for the escapism, they are there to hear satire, sarcasm, and other tools that comedians perform.

Whoever this lady is, she makes it pretty clear in the beginning of her blog that her evening is about getting of the house and, "doing something for the evening" , even if she committs herself to seeing Comedian Dane Cook who she regards as tolerable and not really their taste. (cookiesblog)

And honestly, after reading the first paragraph of her blog, does anyone else besides me get clued in that her night was going to be shit even before it started?

Now me being a comedian of 9 years, these are the types of people that make up the worst audiences in the world.

If you're in a foul mood, then stay the fuck home. And PLEASE PLEASE don't go to comedy club where more than likey you'll find a foul mouth comedian who will unintentionally press your shit button.

Getting back to subject matter at hand, I've also heard lady comedians tell the funniest rape jokes, double standard? I didn't see anyone huffing down their throats after the show.

When audience members go blindly into a comedy club and watch a generic comedy show, meaning they don't know who they're going to see, this occurence will frequently happen.

For goodness sakes, when you go to a comedy club keep in mind that you are a not watching a television set, you are watching a live act and if you're not careful, you'll be in the show whether you want to be or not. If you don't want to be, keep your mouth shut and keep smiling or just plain leave.

My reccommendation for the lady is to do better research before she goes out or stay home and continue to bake her delicious cookies.

xoxo

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