Good god, that's a lot of text I didn't read. That woman should have left rather than yell anything, and if Tosh was going to joke about rape (which can be successfully joked about), it should have been funny, which is wasn't.

YOU'RE WELCOME, INTERNET. It's a sad day when I'm the one with the most concise opinion.

When I read Jen Allen's comment, "carry a fucking gun!" I thought about this:

http://www.utne.com/mind-body/women-with-g…

Regarding Tosh, I think we can all agree that it would be hillarious if someone stuck their penis in Tosh's mouth while fisting his asshole. THAT'S COMEDY.

TOSH IS THAT GUY WITH THE TV SHOW WHERE HE JUST SHOWS TOP LINKS FROM REDDIT, RIGHT? HE ALWAYS STRUCK ME AS THE TV SHOW EQUIVALENT OF RADIO DRIVE TIME ZOO COMEDIANS.

If you really think rape is a serious thing, maybe you should ask at least one rape survivor about their perspective, instead of twenty comics who's only concern is "refining material" and the possibility of getting heckled. After the first dozen statements, it became really clear comics don't give a shit about truth or working through serious issues, those are just footnotes for making their act successful. I have much less respect for comedians' ability to elicit more than a cheap chuckle after this post. Thanks for the insight.

If you really think rape is a serious thing, maybe you should ask at least one rape survivor about their perspective, instead of twenty comics who's only concern is "refining material" and the possibility of getting heckled. After the first dozen statements, it became really clear they don't give a shit about truth or working through serious issues, those are just footnotes for making their act successful. After this post I have no expectations for most comedians to elicit anything deeper than a brief laugh. Thanks for the insight!

I was hoping I could hold a lot of Portland comics to a higher standard, but apparently a good number think that if you can't just take your rape culture sitting down politely, you just should't go to comedy clubs. I'm particularly looking at you particularly, Ian Karmel and Bri Pruett.

I think Tosh is more self-aware than most of his naysayers give him credit for, and that can lead him to take his offensive bro shtick a bit too far, as it did in this case.

That said, no topics in comedy should be off-limits, and it's a simple reality that sometimes comedians will say things that may offend the audience. You don't have to go to comedy shows.

There's a pretty clear slippery slope here, and just because people will be offended by jokes about diseases, actions, people, religions, etc., doesn't mean NO ONE CAN EVER TALK ABOUT THOSE TOPICS WHILE LAUGHING.

The Onion article you linked to was the only thing worth reading in your post.

@stranded Megan Carpentier, a sexual assault victim, wrote exactly what you're looking for in Jezebel about four years ago. It didn't really convince me that rape jokes are funny, but it did explain how jokes about rape can help someone cope with their victimization, which I hadn't previously considered.

My feeling is that it would not be appropriate to pick out a random audience member to do this to, but if some drunk cunt starts interrupting the show I want to see the comic shut her down so we can get back to the fun. It wasn't supposed to be a joke, it was supposed to shut her mouth without losing the rest of the crowd and it sounds like it was pretty effective.

@Lauren Hudgins - I wrote a long piece discussing my feelings on the topic, including the fact that men are responsible for rape, that I empathize with the fear that women feel, and that the burden of both of these things leads to a tension that needs to be released via comedy.

Temple Lentz selected just one small piece of my thought, presented it out of context, and stuck it up here just like I was afraid she would. I don't ever joke about rape and I don't enjoy rape humor, but I fall into the "I may not agree with what you say, but I'll defend to the death your right to say it" camp.

@IanKarmel: I've seen you live. Your shit is hilarious.

For the record, I am a contributor and also a rape survivor. I still think people shouldn't be censored, but we as a buying public have the right to turn our back on someone and effectively make them go away.

In addition to his post here, Ian and I have been having an email conversation about this. We disagree about whether or not he was taken out of context, though it's true he did give me a much longer response than I could use. Most of the comedians did, and I used their comments in the context they were given.

His discussion of the comedian's process was unique, something not offered by the other comedians. I told him and I'll repeat here that I think it's a perspective worth having as a part of the discussion. It's worth considering that someone like Daniel Tosh can't go down to the Boiler Room on a Monday night and work out a tough joke. He has to do it in a very public place. And if it goes badly, a lot of people are going to know about it. That perspective adds complexity to the discussion. Doesn't make Tosh right or wrong, more of a hack or less of a hack. It's simply a factor worth including.

This perspective is also consistent with what I've seen of Ian's involvement on this issue in live conversations and social media the last few days. So I disagree strongly that it can only be understood properly if there is also a disquisition about how Ian is one of the "good" guys who understands that rape is abhorrent. Frankly, having seen Ian's act many times and having a lot of respect for him, I'd take that as a given. As I would for any of the comics included in the piece.

Ian is a great guy. Both he and Bri Pruett are hilarious, and I wouldn't hesitate to call either of them feminists, assuming that worked for them. For his part, Ian has also been very active in defending Tosh's process. Which is what I found interesting and different, and why it's what I quoted.

Congrats, I feel stupider for having read this whole mess. Tosh is just another bro-fiving frat hack trying to be "edgy," and his schtick isn't funny. Hey, you don't even need to know anything about this incident to know that.

Also, anybody who starts their comments about him by saying "I believe in freedom of speech" or "I don't believe in censorship" is an idiot. NOBODY IS SUGGESTING THAT THE GOVERNMENT SHOULD SILENCE HIM, which is the only way that "freedom of speech" or "censorship" is relevant.

Well I think we can all agree on one thing: Thank goodness there's a bunch of blog commentators to chastise a bunch of ultra-liberal stand-up comedians on their solicited opinions of stand-up comedy content. A couple more years of this dedicated community service and there wont be any rape to joke about. You guys are heroes.

I think the bottom line is that rape jokes are the genital herpes of comedy.

I think you nailed it, Lew. They're fucking awful and they'll never go away.