Humor SA

 

Matthew Spear

Dr. Juniper Ellis

EN346D.01 Seminar: Humor Studies

27 March 2023

Humor and Sexual Assault

            In the article “Why I Use Humor When Talking About My Sexual Assault” by Myriam Gurba, the author speaks on why she chooses to use a humorous and comedic tone when talking about her sexual assault. She cites the reverent and near-pious language used within society to discuss the sensitive topic of sexual assault. She says “According to [prevailing storytelling methods about sexual assault], experiencing sexual violence is the worst moment in a survivor’s life, period. It centers violation as a baptismal experience that defines one’s person and in many ways, all womanhood.” (Gurba 2018). She seeks to break down this language and says that though many believe rape culture makes sexual assault too normalized in society, she thinks it is not normalized enough, and that our hesitancy to discuss it except in the most careful of language reflects society’s trepidation to acknowledge sexual assault for what it is. However, I disagree with this point of view. I think the current language used to talk about sexual assault as it is used is so reverent out of respect for sexual assault survivors and that this reverence exists precisely because of the harrowing nature of sexual violence. Speaking about sexual assault using humor and a light tone risks a normalization that fails to acknowledge it for the horror that it is and in doing so minimizes victims. The second article we read for today, “  Comedy and Social Justice: Using Laughs to Change Hearts and Minds” speaks on how harmful it can be to punch down in comedy, and I believe using humor to talk about sexual assaults risks this, even when it is survivors themselves making the jokes because each survivor has a different story.

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