I will be in solidarity in not laughing at rape jokes. Like white skinny jeans, there are very few people that can pull off rape jokes and not look stupid.

I try to be polite. I don't rape anything unless it was already dead.

Sing it, sister! Such a concise and eloquent post.

I was going to send you a Facebook message saying that I am sorry I went after you, that room was strange, and I had to go on last and I could have not run my mouth... but instead, I got to read this... so it's good that I can save that message. I usually try to resolve conflicts person to person like a grown up, ya know rather than taking it to a public forum and complaining and only furthering the problem. so kudos to you for showing me a lack of character, it helps me, make calls regarding you later in life. to be clear I was not bullying you, I was calling you on something... something that annoys more people than just myself, everyone does stuff that annoys people... knowing about it is good... granted I could have had more tact than saying on stage in front of 7 people, furthermore I referenced a rape, I don't think I made fun of the rape victim, I implied it was the worst thing you can do... I think, to be honest I don't remember that well, as I was just talking, and didn't really think much about, but when the ear radar of things I refuse to laugh at goes off it matters not how funny it is, even if you miss the point you are still going to be shitty about it.

Personally I think your view of comedy is skewed, your view of being bullied is more skewed, I have been bullied, what happened to you was just a simple comment, its not bullying but since you don't understand the difference, what is the point. Furthermore of the jokes were formula jokes not street jokes there is a difference, you don't write street jokes IE dead baby jokes, or 3 different things walk into a bar one is [racist comment here] or my favorite what do elephants and ice cream have in common.

Remember also I know you were laughing at the majority of my set, because I was within a mile or so of you, and I could hear your laughs, so paint me however you want, the fact is this you weren't being bullied, you have way more Portland cred than I have, you can bully me, not vice verse, also I love how if you don't like something you can paint it as this woman hating shit, but the truth is that wasn't what happened at all and I can only hope you understand that. calling you on something, is way way way different than pushing you around and picking on you, I said my piece, and if you had let it be or even said how you felt about it, this could have had a happy ending, instead this... wonderful piece of shit came of it.

Look pal, you did something pretty much fucked up when you were gifted an open forum to tell your bad jokes. Your unwillingness to apologize really illustrates your lack of character and your telling of rape jokes really illustrates your inability to write a good joke, so fuck off.

Why don't you laugh at rape jokes? Because they aren't funny. duh.

Goddamn, Will. You fucked this up something SERIOUS.

Dude, you had the opportunity to seize the golden ring of personal growth and you wrote that instead? You will not be looking back on this as one of your best moments. If you wrote it to get something out of your system, fine, but now delete it. It does no one any good.

Yep. Take your lumps. You called someone out, you got called out. Deal with it.

the super funny thing is that nobody except that audience of 7 ever would have known it was you, if you hadn't gotten all butt-hurt ...

Will, buddy, just stop. That rant isn't helping you any. You are not the bully police, you don't get to tell anyone how they feel about how they were treated.

Dude, SHE DIDN'T EVEN NAME YOU. Thanks for putting a name to the assholery so I can avoid your sets.

I think Bobby said it best and god knows since my day has been crap and since Barbara didn't fucking name you I'm going to sit here and watch you screw your career up. This is way beyond douchey and one of the greatest things to me is I would have never know who you were Will if your did not post that. Whats even better is you should have taken care of that THAT night if you felt bad.

Dear smiley face, I'm not your pal, as I don't associate with dipshits. And you can say whatever you like about me, as I have the right and responsibility to not respect your anonamus(or otherwise)opinion. PS I talk about everything from building 7 to chess in my act, as hard as it is to fathom, my act isn't just rapey rape rape.

I don't understand how comedy and sensitivity go together. It's jokes. If you don't think a joke is funny don't react to it or maybe groan and make a face palm. Laugh or don't laugh but don't have a freak out because somebody told a joke that offended you. It's comedy not child snuff pornography. It is nearly impossible to tell a joke without potentially offending someone. Getting overly offended at somebody else's attempt at humor is pretending like your shit doesn't stink. Any joke potentially offends some group or person but to act like only your feelings matter is to delude yourself that your viewpoint is the only valid viewpoint. Different people believe different things. Trying to not offend anyone at all is generally not the point of comedy. Joking about a subject is not the same as endorsing or condoning it. Some people enjoy humor that is decidedly horrible and pushes every boundary of what would be socially acceptable. Some people eat meat. Some people hate cats. Some people like to listen to gangster rap. Some people like gospel music.

Personally, religious zealots offend the shit out of me. I hate it when some asshole shows up on my porch trying to show me the light. Whether or not they are aware of the connotations of their own actions they are subtly implying that I am too ignorant to form my own opinions about what I choose to believe in. They are implying that I am too weak to make my own way in life without the comforting embrace and guidance of somebody wiser than me. Somebody they fortunately happen to know but I do not. I kindly tell those people (the first time) that I am not interested, to have a nice day, and I shut the door in their face. I don't have to scream at them to go fuck themselves. I don't threaten to sacrifice them to Satan, no matter how much it would help me fulfill the blood quota of my Goetian contracts. I would have to dispose of even more bodies and it also isn't nice.

Comedy should be about having a good time and letting disparate views coexist or at least checking your personal baggage at the door. You decided to sit down and listen to somebody try to be funny. Maybe they failed inyour opinion. Nobody dragged you into the bushes and whispered clown suit jokes in your ear. Somebody being not funny or telling jokes that you personally don't like is not somebody physically attacking you. Sitting in the front row at a comedy show can also make you fair game. Some comic's whole shtick revolves around making fun of the audience. Big deal, laugh it off or ignore it. If people get easily offended at any remark referencing a subject they perceive to be "politically incorrect" they should stay home and watch Nickelodeon.

Trollkien, all she did was not laugh - she simply minded her own business - then the "comedian" called her out by name. And after that she wrote a column about the boorish behavior of the comedian. Behavior which has continued on this page, and probably will continue until he gets his ass kicked out of town.

You're fucked, Will. As of right now, your comment has only been up for a few hours at a time during which few people are reading Blogtown. This will blow up over the next few days, and you should not mistake the few positive comments and emails you get for meaningful community support. The old adage that all publicity is good publicity? Not true, especially when you're still playing to crowds of half a dozen people.

I'm gonna go make some popcorn. With brewer's yeast. And while I eat it, I'm going to get a consensual blowjob. From a woman. It'll be awesome.

And wait, Will, "Building 7"? Are you also a truther?

Is this really misogyny? Just because a bad thing happened to a woman doesn't make it misogyny.

My meaningless rambling diatribe wasn't any kind of an endorsement of whoever this guy is. It just seems like this column is the same thing every week and it doesn't really make any sense to me. It actually isn't anything against Barbara Holm really because I don't know her and wouldn't want to be mean to her. I don't think raping people or being a dick is acceptable either but I think the world would be a better place if more people were not offended by petty shit. I also think if you have the ability to publish public discourse than the public has the right to critique it.

Plus alcohol.

It sounds to me that she was more offended by his calling her out by name specifically in the shittiest of fashions. She didn't laugh, he took offence and tried to turn it around and make it something wrong with her instead of his dying line of jokes.

To which she rightly felt the need to rant about the random obnoxious ass in her blog, which she did completely anonymously, it could have been any random guy until Will so cleverly showed his face, again trying to make her into the bad guy.

The only one being unprofessional and petty here is you, Will, you big fuckwad.

"Just because a bad thing happened to a woman doesn't make it misogyny." Bingo!


What this is, is a 3rd wave feminist trying to be relevant (and she's not).

Being that the preceding movements (1st and 2nd wave feminism) were loud and obnoxious, modern feminism has inherited this same legacy. And this is a perfect example; allow me to explain.

It isn't surprising at all that this woman would get upset over words and then shame someone for it. Well, that sucks. Maybe she should toughen up.

And while the joke(s) probably sucked, Will had a good point. "Have you noticed that Barbara Holm never laughs at rape jokes, no matter how funny? She laughs at feminist jokes but no rape jokes. Come on, why don't you laugh, Barbara?"

It is my guess that Barbara Holm didn't laugh at the rape joke(s) because it would disempower her and make her look weak. And we all know how much a feminist loves her power (trip), a masculine trait.

I pray that the Portland comedy scene continues to challenge feminists for their passive aggressive crap. And that people like Barbara Holm continues to speak out against stupid jokes. Because it perfectly displays the modern feminist's value; joke fodder.

I have always thought that modern feminsts are the "nuns of our society".

"I usually try to resolve conflicts person to person like a grown up, ya know rather than taking it to a public forum..."

You mean like you did onstage with a mic in your hand calling her out by name. Well, good job making yourself looking like even more of an ass in your response. And note, she didn't mention you by name but thanks for letting us know who you are.

Tiger Bauer, it is highly likely that she didn't laugh because jokes at the expense of the victim are simply not funny. Now if the joke were at the expense of the rapist AND funny, she probably would laugh. I find it interesting that you defend rapists because we feminists are so evil though. Thanks for reminding us why some of us remain feminists.

Leave will alone, im sick hearing how women are so mistreated. Apparently only about 7 people should have an opinion on this matter. The rest of you are just picking sides. Fuck barbara and all of you who are choosing to bury him. Viva la will.

This escalated quickly.

Comedians have every right to say whatever they want on stage, just as audience members have every right to not laugh and possibly feel offended/threatened by it. It seems silly to get mad at an audience member for not laughing at a joke; it's impossible to appeal to everyone. It's especially silly to call out a woman for not laughing at a joke involving rape. It just comes off sounding insensitive. Again, joke about whatever you want, but...Don't expect everyone to enjoy it.

Well, even though I've just now read the single most worrying commentary about feminism ever, thanks to WattaSurprise, all I came on here was to say was
"Will, you enjoy offending people, that's like your favorite part in comedy, but you fucked with the wrong G, son. Now that someone has spoken out, way more publically than you ever anticipated, you were given a chance to swallow some pride or shame or whatever it is that compels you, and you didn't, and you made yourself un-anonymous in the process. Not your best move. Also, you never actually apologized when you had the chance to, instead you wrote on FB "I'm sorry if your feelers got hurt", which is pretty much the biggest cop out you can pull in an apology, and finally, maybe this would be a good time to point out that berating an audience for not laughing makes everyone really uncomfortable and is nerve wracking to have to go up after you or anyone else when they do it"

ok, that felt good.

Not defending rape jokes or Will here, but I would take any and everything Holmes says with more than a grain of salt.

I'm always lost in hysterics when someone (e.g. Will) who crosses a line in public whines that the criticism was not done privately. If you have the nethers to talk shit in public, have the nethers to take -- and discuss -- the criticism in public. Whether or not one sees the incident in question as bullying, whining that criticism should be private (esp. given that their own, to begin with, wasn't) is a pretty classic bully move.

I don't know if dudes realize how often women are told to do shit by rando creepers. It's very annoying and makes me wear big ass headphones on trimet, every time every time. It's something about women's bodies being considered public domain, and dudes just wanting to hit on and impose their will upon any passing pair of bewbs.
Its all a lark to the creeper, but it adds up on the woman. It makes her rightfully wary of public spaces. It makes her question her saftey. While most creepers do not escalate to outright threatening behavior, plenty do. How unfortunate that this phenomenon has been brought to the stage! It's men pressing their luck/advantage, and oh shit, luck runs out. Yknowamsayn.

"Just because a bad thing happened to a woman doesn't make it misogyny."

True. But when a man is on a stage heckling a woman in the audience about rape and feminism, you know, it probably IS misogyny.

The sad thing is, years later when this dude's comedy career has gone nowhere, he'll probably give his poor acquaintances long lectures about how it was all the fault of feminists and PC police, and not at all the fault of his arrogant, obtuse persona.

"Just because a bad thing happened to a woman doesn't make it misogyny." First of all, it wasn't just a "bad thing". It wasn't dropping your cup of coffee or tripping or something that fate or she brought upon herself. She's not saying that whenever something bad happens it's because she's a woman or because of misogyny. But this guy did intentionally call her out, not comedically, in a society and culture that made him feel like he is entitled to do that and it won't be seen as dickish. (You have the free speech to be a dick, but patriarchy means that he has it instilled that that is totally okay) It wouldn't necessarily have been bullying or misogyny until he MADE IT A FREAKING SCREED OF MEN'S RIGHTS ACTIVISTS BY SAYING "She laughs at feminist jokes but not at rape jokes". There's a difference between a comedian doing crowd work and a dude on stage being petty and targeting an easy target, targeting her PERSONALLY!

it's like, a big dude with a microphone and all the attention in the room calling out a smaller woman by name in a show, aggressively, is not without sexist factors. Even relating his rape joke to her is unintentionally threatening, and i'd personally feel uncomfortable leaving that venue alone. Why? Because shit like that has statistically happened before and not had positive outcomes for women (like raaape) . Because of women being oppressed mostly by men in society, an undeniable fact. Because of misogyny.

But hey, Barbara can write this blog if she wants because of FREE SPEECH! I didn't know all these guys were against free speech and writing about rape jokes ;D

HAAAAAHAHAHA Will your dumb is showing.

I want to buy a dog just so Barbara has something to pet now. A cute one named Buffy.

Singling out an audience member for not laughing at a joke from onstage is a real boner move in comedy, regardless of the joke or gender politics at play.

I was gonna post a really long rant about wills creating fake accounts to bash Barbra and commenting on the fake clickiness of the scene but lets me be real and ranting about why will migt not be sexist but he's still an asshole but lets be real that's all a waste of time. and no body listens to anything i say anyway

so instead i'll just say


will your still pissed that helium makes you purchase two items when you sign up for the open mic, and Barbara gets regular work at heium. your comments have over 100 thumbs down and Marcus Gibson isnt the biggest asshole in the room right now.

Follow @WWJChristD
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I was gonna post a really long rant about wills creating fake accounts to bash Barbra and commenting on the fake clickiness of the scene but lets me be real and ranting about why will migt not be sexist but he's still an asshole but lets be real that's all a waste of time. and no body listens to anything i say anyway

so instead i'll just say


will your still pissed that helium makes you purchase two items when you sign up for the open mic, and Barbara gets regular work at heium. your comments have over 100 thumbs down and Marcus Gibson isnt the biggest asshole in the room right now.

how do i delete my comments?

Will, you ever consider maybe your joke sucked and that it's not anyone's responsibility to laugh at it?

Would you have called out a black man deciding not to laugh at a joke about slavery? Because if your answer is no, then you are definitely a misogynist.

Did you ever stop to think that as a comedy n00b you should tread lightly? When did you think it was a good idea to start telling rape jokes before you even established trust within the comedy community (or y'know, at all)?

I consider it an act of authenticity to withhold laughter when something isn't funny, and it gives you a better gauge as to how well you performed. If someone wasn't laughing at my jokes, I wouldn't lash out at them, I would take a moment to reconsider the quality of my comedy and work harder next time.

I can't state this enough, I said nothing about the victim(as the line doesn't even have a victim), that was made up and like most of the things people have said about me, are misinformed. Also, I didn't come here to change minds, I came here because I was being talked about and I need to get my side in for myself everyone's reaction I can't control.

Also just so there isn't some weird belief, I do what I do, for the posts with 40 dislikes, not for the people who think I'm fucked up or whatever, and don't understand. I would rather say my part and be hated for it, than be silent, its just how I live.

Oh and dear Andie, I want you to understand this, im not sorry for what happened, and I'm not hiding, cowardice is for weak people, I don't expect many people to agree with me here, (and those that do, it means a lot to me)but I want to be seen for what I am, rather than am not, even if you think me a fool. I would take it to a stage, but apparently that's a no-no


no matter how you see this I hope you can all agree that Marcus Gibson is an idiot.

Will, I've been raped. 1 out of 4 women have. I'd rather not be reminded it of it at a comedy show, 7 people or no.

Jokes about rape aren't funny.

However skits about rapists can be hilarious.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AKE9W0O8bX8…

"no matter how you see this I hope you can all agree that Marcus Gibson is an idiot."

So now it's okay for you to bash people in public? You're a sexist and a hypocrite!

etsie, I'm a touring headline and middle guy who has been doing comedy for just shy of a decade, my jokes I was trying were getting all 7 of my audience, even Barbra. Oh and Marcus Gibson is an idiot, and I never said it wasn't ok to bash people in public, you should try reading in the future.

so speakeath the coward without a real name and the man digging himself a deeper a whole. Im out i graduated highschool in 2005. Im gonna go talk to adults

Things are getting heated here. Why don't we all take a deep breath and watch a video of 2 ADORABLE maltese poodles playing? Everything is good and right in a universe where this video exists.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iK2JE95BERY…

Since when are you a touring headline? Show me the receipts.

Oh and Will? Tribble runs don't count. Not that you've had one.

esty aka jhon washington. One time after getting an entire basement barcade to sing Boethius rhapsody Belinda Carroll drunkenly put her arm around my shoulder and said i think its really cool that your such a militant feminist. Some craiglist ad that was read and interprated by a bunch of rejects has me labled as a sexist. No i spent a year volunteering at the womans resouce center fin the men in the movment program talking to freshman about the danger of rape culture and gender voilnce .I saved one drunk friend from being moved to second location, and another from their man learing near her unattended drink ive seen homless men hit homless woman in the park blocks and followed them untill the girl was alone and sliped her a buisness card for the womans crisiss line. I carry a ream of them in my wallet. I have been supportive to five friends in abusive relationships taking a tolll on my own emotional psyche because everyone else they knew just couldn't deal with it, and i knew there were could a time that they would need help escaping and I helped two of them escape. The other 3 get my phone calls intercepted when men make micro aggression that seem to genuinely come from a place of mysgony i correct them and tell them its not cool with the same aggresive attitude i'm giveing you for your misunderformed slam on me. I know the phone numbers for the woman crisis line, and 2 woman shelters by memory.I've conviced relative out of state to board my friends escapeing relationship Don't fucking call me sexist. I may saything or have ideas for podcast that people dont like cause there idiots, but i do not participate in the active oppression of woman, and in fact have devoted huge part of the last three years of my life to the opposite that. So go fuck your self etsy/jonh washington. You can call easy scape goat a sexist and act like you've done your part , but i guarentee you i've helped more woman than suscribers to your podcast

and the definition of hypocrisey is calling someone an idiot and then chastising them for "basing" people in public

So Will, what was the joke?

Umm, Marcus Gibson, perhaps you should re-read my comment...I was standing up for you. The quote was from Will, I was calling him a sexist.

Cool story, bro.

oh? my bad, im really sorry i wish i could delete this shit but its here forever , and i tottally am an idiot...but not sexist

"..want to be seen for what I am..."

We're in a comedy renaissance, no doubt. There are so many amazing comics-men and women-getting their due as the field grows and grows. Amen. Too many amazing people to name. Delaney, Oswalt, Bamford, Peretti. Local, national. I could name 50 more of both genders. I think Barbara is quite funny and smart. She leaves a very positive mark on the landscape.

Hate to say it b/c I don't want to be mean but here's how you appear to anyone not of your ilk or a youtube commentor: the worst of what this field shits out on the back end of all that greatness.

I wish you were more new to the field, Will, because then I could hope for you to grow. I was shocked to read you have that much experience because what kind of comic uses his precious 5-10 minutes on stage to call out another comic by name for ANYTHING let alone not laughing at rape jokes? That's bordeline sociopathic. Then to think her follow-up column about the incident "furthers the problem" as you say, as if opening her mouth about it, and leaving you anonymous still, was in some way flawed and unjustified? Don't dumb pro-rape joke dudebros always lean on and champion freedom of speech in regard to such issues? Shouldn't that be applied evenly across all forums, in your eyes? Can't for the life of me see why not other than to again see the part above about sociopathy. Let me finish by adding laughably entitled and totally unfunny to that list, too.

Honestly though, Will doesn't seem like a bad person. I just watched one of his sets...and I'm a rabid feminist...and it doesn't seem like he's a chauvinist. Gender aside, I do think he's a dick for implying I didn't read his posts. Perhaps he's a dick in general, but it seems more like he's just fumbling, defensive, insecure, and kind of ignorant.

I do think this could've been handled in a way that didn't result in divisiveness, and I mean that coming from both sides. I think Will could've sucked it up and not lashed out because she didn't laugh at his joke, and Barbara could've spoken to him after the show and said, "hey, you may have noticed I didn't laugh at your joke...that's because it was offensive. You may want to reconsider material about sexual assault" to which Will could've replied, "I'm sorry, you're right, I'm a man and sometimes I fail to acknowledge that I'm on the privileged side of the rape joke argument, I'll be more sensitive in the future."

This whole thing is kind of childish.

Savage Ashley lol even if I did e mailed all my info to you, we both know it wouldn't satisfy you, that's not how the game works.

sigh. this is hard, as i know and respect and genuinely _like_ the both of you, as colleagues, funny-makers and... friends? i hope? i'm not at every mic or showcase yet and i know both of you don't know me all that well. colleague-acquaintance-friend, maybe?

in any case, i chatted with our mutual pal jt about this today, as when i saw barb's tweet earlier this week, i became neurotically paranoid that it was something _i_ had said after my set that had made her feel that way. i was relieve it wasn't, but if it had been, i would have just immediately apologized and said i won't ever do it again and i hope it will not hurt our colleague-acquaintance-friend-ish-ship(?). because i do respect and like your comedy. a lot, a lot, a lot. i was quoting & crediting you today to a friend when their cat got hair all over my black slacks. you know the one. ;)

and to will - i do appreciate that you put yourself out there, take chances, push the edge, say what's on your mind and try and mine comedy from some very intimate and freaky stuff from your own life. i respect that and have been there when you made this work successfully. i had left said venue by the time this happened, so i'm only getting this second hand from what barb wrote, your comments in response, and my chat with jt. first off, dude, as i had to learn then unfortunate hard way earlier in my life, even more unfortuneately, at a later age than you are now, the determination of if someone feels offended or victimized or bullied is never from the one doing the bullying who then self-justifies what they do; it is _always_ determined by those who feel victimized. end of story. you might feel that unfair, or you should get to tell your side, and go, “but wait, but wait, but WAIT! you don't understand! i mean...” whatever. the more you go on like that, the more you dig your own insensitive asshat hole. it's best, always, just to say, “you're right, you were hurt, i am sorry.” you can ask for clarification to understand what you did that hurt them, but never to self-justify, just so you know, don't do that shit again.

and while i appreciate your, will's, ability to push the edge, there's a difference between edge-pushing and mining comedy wisdom from your own experiences, and just rattling off events in your experience and seeing which stick. i think, sometimes, maybe, just as a suggestion, a wee bit of self-editing might be a good thing before hitting the stage. i, personally, tend to err on the side of speaking truth to power, not singling out the obviously unempowered. and most comics, with low-paying day jobs just trying to get to the next showcase and pray they'll never need healthcare until they can afford it would be always in the latter category. not everything will work and the last thing i do, personally, is blame an audience, particularly one member, however well i think i know them, for not laughing. i know it's now become a standard bit of crowd work to go, “i thought that would be funnier,” or, “really? you guys gonna go all silent on that one?” but i tend to avoid those. it can work if it is self-deprecating, but if it is you turning on the audience, it can easily turn back on you, this dialogue being a case in point. the audience has already given me their verdict, i need go no further than that response or lack thereof. jokes are like food, it tastes great or it's dog poop on a cracker. it's my responsibility to take the immediate feedback, and that is re-work my delivery, re-write the joke, or toss it. and certainly not single anyone out, unless they are being a heckling asshat. barb is never like that, from what i've experienced.

again, i respect you both, and am sorry to see the dialogue descend to this. now i'll go curl up in a ball in a corner and rock myself, whimpering, “why can't mom and dad stop fighting?!”

except for one last thing: JRRTrollkien, WattaSurprise & barbasher1 are asshats of the first degree. like they go around wearing those liners for the toilet seat as cowboy hats on their heads, all the time. they can go have their own lemon party together, as that is all, pretty much, they are fit for. 'nuff sed.

TSW: as awesome as you seem, it's not funny to joke about people being sociopaths. A sociopath attempted to murder me this summer. Throwing that word around dilutes the meaning, and despite this guy being super maladroit, let's not completely destroy his life by labeling him a sociopath. He seems like a big lug from Beaverton, probably with little more than a high school education, so it's a little extreme to lynch him. We weren't there, we didn't hear the joke, so let's not jump to conclusions. Also, Will, right now might be a good time for you to swallow your pride if you want to retain any dignity.

Dismissive. Shocking.

it shouldn't be shocking what the fuck am I supposed to do send you my tax info? there is no winning in what you asked of me, which I assume is why you said it.

Oh, poor you.

Anybody in this thread know any good rape jokes? I have to give a toast at a friends wedding next week.

I'd also like to point out that saying "Have you noticed that Barbara Holm never laughs at rape jokes, no matter how funny? She laughs at feminist jokes but no rape jokes. Come on, why don't you laugh, Barbara?" is the equivalent of "why don't you smile? You look so much prettier when you smile" a.k.a dictating what women should do with their bodies and implying they need to be pleasant and placating all the time.

othere is nothing sexit about trying to get a woman to smile. Thats riddiculous you seriously suggesting that when a man tries to seduce a smile out of a woman he is being sexist. Like what the hell. Woman try to make men smile, and men men and woman woman, and wanting someone to smile has nothing to do with the being arousedeven though a smile is more appealing aesthetically then it frown its about being human and having empathy and feeling bad when someone is sad and you know there sad when they frown and you know there happy when they smile and you want every one you care about to be happy weather you want your dick in them or not. This is a discconnect that some femist pholsphy do not consider when alleging sexism the patrichy would have men and woman belive that men are emtionless sex hungry monkeys, not everything a man does is motivated by wanting to controll a womans body, maybe he just want her to be happy, which is a selfless and honorbale desire


Seriously

Dude, I am not talking about sweet men complimenting a girl's smile or doing something to make her smile, you misunderstand me. I am talking about walking down the street every.single.fucking.day and having strange men tell you to smile. Usually if you don't smile (because maybe you're having a bad day and it's okay not to smile because you're an autonomous human being) they will call you a bitch or a whore or a cunt. It's about control, not friendliness.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/09/06/s…

The best thing about Duct Tape is it turns "No,No,No" into "Mm,Mm,Mm".

Is that a rape joke technically?
It could be a kidnap or murder joke. Hard to say.

or a Campbell's soup joke

ps Jon, the line was a tag that follows a joke
"in the industry we call that joke rape, and im gonna look you in the fucking eyes while im doing it"

PPS I like how you acted like you didn't know me

I will not be going to any comedy shows where Will Woodruff is on the bill. I imagine I'm not the only one.

Not only would I not laugh at a comedian that was telling rape jokes, but...that's a thing? Rape jokes. I love my comedy, but I find no humor in that. I am pretty disgusted to think ANYONE does.

And call you out in public. Will, are you fucking idiot or a fucking piece of shit with no clue? You weren't called out until you piped in. Plus, your excuse is a lame one. "The room was weird, so I lashed out at the one person not laughing at a rape jokes. You should see what I did to the person who didn't laugh at my incest humor."

I, for one, will never again be using the nefarious "Canola Oil" for any of my food cooking, pan greasing, or sexual lubrication activities (not even naked Twister).

I have just become aware that this seemingly innocuous oil is in fact the edible oil of the rapeseed, of the evil rape plant, masquerading in disguise as a healthy vegan friendly fat. I will not be consuming the greasy by-products of any plant with deviant tendencies toward sexual violence or connotations related to such. Good day to you, sir.

I really don't mind if you're a headliner. At Harvey's. At the casinos. At showcases. Whatever. I've seen you before, and I don't recall you being especially funny, but that was years ago. I'll give you the benefit of the doubt that you got better.

I've also been privy to enough open mics to my misfortune of dating a comic (24 Energy Drink, pls) to know that my laughter, boisterous as it is, is a privilege. I'm sorry you think it's a right as a co-worker/fellow comedian/someone witnessing your hilarity.

I get that most dudes don't understand misogyny. Think of life as a video game: as a straight white dude, you get to play on easy. A person of color, a woman, a homosexual, a disabled person... we have to play on a higher level. We can still win, but it's fucking harder. Comedy is supposed to make people feel better, not worse.

Sometimes a rape joke is funny, but it usually comes from someone who had themselves been raped, or someone who belongs to the demographic wherein the majority has experienced sexual assault...like a woman.

A rape joke is like the N-word, don't say it unless YOUR PEOPLE are the ones on whom the
oppression that it symbolizes are piled.

http://www.laughspin.com/2011/09/07/when-does-heckling-a-comedian-become-sexual-harassment/

I got bullied and attacked on the Portland Board... um its freedom of speech. THIS IS THE ENTERTAINMENT BUSINESS. Will is a sweet guy.... It just sets female comics back to the stone age .... get over it. Move on... shit I have had worse shit said about me on a Portland Board that I couldn't even respond too... GO WRITE SOME JOKES .... you guys have now become the bullies that you are bitching about.... MOVE ON.... book some gigs~ put your energy into something positive. I saw Will naked once, lets talk about that. (see, that was at least funny!)
Will, can you book me for some gigs now?

"Have you noticed that Barbara Holm never laughs at rape jokes, no matter how funny?"

So the joke is "I suspect that THIS woman (the one right here in this room that I'm pointing out) is a rape victim, everyone look at this rape victim", right?

I wouldn't open with it.

Robert your formula needs work.

Jon I'm not afraid of getting beat up by women, so its different than the n word

To the "I won't see you" people... It's sad you will miss a great show! luckily for me I have enough fans to get by at the moment, besides I don't talk about the evils of "sportsball" or knittig in my act, so I hope you see you see something more fitting to your taste... Oh the wonders of choice.

Oh Susan I am looking at a new room that Travis kenny didn't get shut down, lemme know if you haz any avails in december.

What was that law about holes again?

You know, that if you find yourself getting deeper into one … well, stop digging?

It's a comedian's JOB to make people laugh. If no one laughs, YOU are doing your job wrong. This is no one's fault but the person with the mic.

"She laughs at feminist jokes but she doesn't laugh at rape jokes." ? Was that meant to make you feel like a comedy bigot? Stand-up comedy is the greatest art form. It's just too bad that we'll let anybody do it. I have rape jokes, but I attack the guilty.

weren't these comedians JUST WHINING about wweek posting an article that painted an open mic to look like a shit-show?

FOOD COMES FROM PORTNALD!!1!! 1!

Will are you a WWF villain? Are you Rowdy Roddy Piper'ing us?

Hold on guys! There's a tape joke here somewhere I just know it...

Maybe it's a rape tape joke...bah! Never mind, I lost it.

WWF villain? Wait! Kayfabe! It explains so much!

So, subject matter and sexual politics/male privilege aside, what kind of dum-dum/big baby performer interrupts his own performance to ask a specific audience member (by name no less) why they are not enjoying his performance as much as he wants? That's gonna immediately alienate your audience because 1) "oh my god is he going to turn to me next" 2) "oh shit is this guy gonna lose it on stage right now". And being anything but gracious to your audience - and this scenario explicitly - is really fucking entitled. It gives the impression that this is a guy who drives in the transit lanes of the bus mall because why should buses have their own lanes, or that he ignores the line at a bar and just finds an open place and starts shouting for a drink because why should I have to wait in line.

Bonus ad hominem attack: probably jean shorts.

So Will is officially the creepy old dude at bus stops insisting that women "put a smile on that beautiful face."

Got it. 2/10, will not see perform comedy.

I just watched an old George Carlin special. Not only did he use the N-word with a hard R, he also cast aspersions on the physical appearance of your average feminist.

My point? I hate you all. Ice Prez for MVP.

Looking forward to the All Jane No Dick festival this week.

Doot doola doot doo...

I'm so glad to see Blogtown running at its finest. We saw our favorite trolls demonstrating how desperate they are for any attention at all, and some new faces, too! Ones that presumably have not read the expiration date on their material and don't particularly care for a career in comedy post-1990!

Come on, bring it in guys. Big hug. I love you all. I'm just so emotional. You know, like a woman.

And what's up with airplane food.

Asian drivers.

Wait, I had to come back here after noticing something else.

EtsySeller (whom Will seems to think is a "Jon" using a pseudonym), said: "A rape joke is like the N-word, don't say it unless YOUR PEOPLE are the ones on whom the oppression that it symbolizes are piled."

Will's response? "Jon I'm not afraid of getting beat up by women, so its different than the n word"

Dude, if your only metric for deciding "Should I perform this potentially offensive joke?" is "Will the offended party be able to beat me up?," you really need to rethink comedy.

EVERYBODY HERE HAS TO BE THE SAME! IF YOU DO NOT HAVE SIX TATTOOS SKINNY JEANS AND A MOUSTACHE NOBODY WANTS TO TALK TO YOU! AND THAT INCLUDES THE LADIES!

IF YOU DON'T AGREE WITH EVERYTHING THE MAJORITY SAYS YOU WILL BE OUTCAST TO SALEM!

It is really a sad thing that someone who has experienced a traumatic event such as rape is sometimes reminded of it in uncomfortable settings. Lots of people have been raped. Lots of people have had traumatic experiences other than rape too. It can be hard for someone to say, "my pain hurts more than your pain," or to suggest that a person's own traumatic past takes a priority over someone else's. In fact that's the sort of mentality that perpetuates pain, rather than alleviates it. So in the name of equality, the Portland comedians should make a collective list of all their traumatic life events. Parent beat them up. Alcoholic ex-spouse. Abandoned as a child. Lost a child. Had a child. Veteran with PTSD. Made fun of for being gay. Made fun of for being straight. The list should not include suggestions from non-comedians though. Comedians only. Because comedians know more about what is funny than normal people who enjoy paying to sit in a room watching and laughing at jokes. And not all comedians should get to contribute to the list; only the comedians whose ethos most closely resembles the common view of all that is "Portland," for while all comedians are equal, some are more equal than others. Then they should set the list on fire, and focus instead on writing better material, getting better stage chops, and growing their own following instead of trying to diminish someone else's.

When the Daniel Tosh controversy happened, I read a lot of comedians' opinions on the subject of rape in comedy, and it was pretty interesting. The most common one was along the lines of "I don't think anything should be inherently off the table in comedy, but there are subjects that I personally avoid because the risk v. reward isn't worth it".

There are comedians that cut like a knife that can use rape, or racism, or child abuse, or any topic in a clever enough way that it's legitimately funny enough to be worth it. But there are a lot more that will use them as a cheap punchline for shock value. Barbara echoes this sentiment with "Second, it's not simply that I hate rape jokes. I hate rape jokes that are directed at the victim. They are mean spirited, and often dumb."

If you're going to do a joke with rape, it'd better be a really fucking funny joke. And don't be a dick to someone for not laughing.

Oh Will, you keep digging yourself deeper and deeper into this hole. Maybe rather than worrying about all the commenters, you should be focusing on writing better material? That way you won't have to berate your audience members in order to get a laugh.
Also, no-one knew who you were until you identified yourself in the comments. Idiot.
And finally, you have revealed yourself to be not only sexist but also racist with this gem of a comment "I'm not afraid of getting beat up by women, so its different than the n word."
Just keep digging, my friend.

Yeah Will. Keep digging. Eventually you might have a deep enough pit that you will have an open face gold mine and you can dissolve away all that useless sediment with sodium cyanide to get at that sweet sweet golden ore.

"If you're going to do a joke with rape, it'd better be a really fucking funny joke" is only half correct. If you're going to do any joke, if you're going to take up an audience's time, if you're going to commandeer someone else's business in order to try and advance your own, it'd better be a really fucking funny joke.

Wait, Will. Are you saying that the only reason you don't use the N-word is because you think black people will beat you up? Not because it's a shitty thing to do? Also, it says something that you assume black people will immediately resolve things with violence.

100% support here, Barbara.

And all the rape joke defenders, if you believe it is impossible to do a joke that is not offensive, you are probably a bigot not a comedian.

Dear Will,

YOU ARE AN IDIOT. Your comment proves you won't ever get it. This is patriarchy.

Sincerely,
Everyone who has half a brain.