People Used Rape Jokes To Celebrate Brazil's Humiliating Defeat. Here's Why You Shouldn't
FYI: Rape is not a joke!
By Sadho Ram — 10 Jul 2014, 03:59 PM — Updated over 10 years ago
At some point in our life - online and offline both, we all have come across the usage of word 'rape' in everyday language. Like:
So when Germany routed Brazil in the semi-finals, many experienced a sort of heartbreaking sadness that they never experienced before. Others saw the opportunity for rape jokes.
The jokes were taken so far that viewers started flooding the adult site Pornhub with highlights of the game
A screenshot of the Brazil Vs Germany match's one of the clip that was put on Pornhub
Image via SAYS.comFootage of the goals bearing the title 'Young Brazilians get f**ked by entire German soccer team' (and other more explicit variants) quickly sprang up following the game (at least according to hundreds of screen grabs circulating Twitter).
In response, Pornhub sent out this tweet, whilst getting a swipe in at Brazil's performance itself:
While all this went on, there were few who took offence, and rightly so, of all the stupidity and responded back
And just in case, if you were wondering what the crime is with a "little sense of humour", here's what's wrong:
Likening the victory or loss of a football match to rape in this manner is appalling. Stating that an overpowering team has raped the less powerful one glamorizes rape as an adrenalin-pumping-testosterone-driven win.
Simultaneously, the word rape serves to belittle the losers. Do we feel the same way about women and men who experience rape? Are rapists superior and powerful? If the answer to either of these is “no,” then how can we utilize the word rape for such frivolous purposes? Such usage gives the impression that rape victims should feel embarrassed and simply give up in the aftermath of their ordeal. Being raped demonstrates some form of weakness – a weakness that should and can be made fun of.
Concurrently, it portrays that rapists are supremely complete in their masculinity, and the act of rape is a part of that demonstration of enviable power. The “rape” of a mighty team such as Spain gives us more pleasure. Essentially, we equate rape with victory and it is unacceptable in this modern day and age.
Furthermore, on cracking rape jokes to mock or celebrate a team's performance, Rashaam Chowdhury, of Dhaka Tribune, has a clear analogy to differentiate between getting a goal and getting raped:
In the field, two teams consent to the act of playing football and the possibility of one party facing defeat is implicit in this understanding. However, in real life, rape is defined by the absence of consent, and the victims do not implicitly or explicitly consent to being raped. Getting a goal through a penalty box surely is not similar to rape.
Continual misuse of metaphors in this manner serves to perpetuate myths about rape and sexual assault experiences. People using the term may not realise the inherent misogyny associated with it. Nevertheless, research has shown that it trivialises and normalises rape culture within mainstream society.
Commentators question why we are not equally outraged about expressions such as "thrashing," "slaughtered," or "pulverised." As Rashaam rightly puts it, this line of criticism is difficult to counter.
The fact that murder rates are nowhere close to sexual assault rates may shape our selective outrage. Furthermore, myths about murder and assault are not as rampant as those about rape. Culturally and legally, we are much more willing to give victim status to those murdered than those raped.
On the contrary, rape victims are often ridiculed and continue to be blamed for their plight. Maybe it is the contested nature of rape victims that impels us to fight harder against the perpetuation of rape culture through the use of these metaphors. Whatever the reason, we must understand that such peripheral arguments effectively subsume the broader debate and serve to dismiss it altogether as feminist propaganda.
Trivialised references to rape are ubiquitous and pervasive in our society, and events such as the FIFA World Cup simply make these instances more visible
We are actively outraged about back to back cases of rape in and outside Malaysia. Yet, we can’t even stop using a simple expression that has far-reaching and damaging consequences for the moral fabric of our society.
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It's not about being politically correct. It's about respecting women who have been raped and teaching ourselves a lesson on common sense - don't equate anyone's gruesome experience to a sport for laughs.
Willian of Brazil reacts after the 1-7 defeat in the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil Semi Final match between Brazil and Germany on July 8, 2014 in Belo Horizonte, Brazil
Image via aljazeera.com