Rape jokes that expose the cruelty of the act can be funny. Tosh’s wasn’t.
Melissa Harris-Perry
When comedian Daniel Tosh told an audience member that her gang rape would be “funny,” he crossed the line between humor that points out the cruelty of rape and one that celebrates the act. Nation columnist Jessica Valenti joined fellow Nation columnist Melissa Harris-Perry to discuss Tosh’s lack of sensitivity, the feminist perspective and if there’s such a thing as a genuinely funny rape joke.
—Max Rivlin-Nadler
Melissa Harris-PerryTwitterMelissa Harris-Perry is the Maya Angelou Presidential Chair and Professor in the Department of Politics and International Affairs and the Department of Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies at Wake Forest University. She is also the co-host of The Nation’s System Check podcast.