ep. 17: How to Tell a Rape Joke
"I thought about calling it 'Survivor Jokes,' but it just didn't have the same ring." - comic Cameron Esposito, on her one-hour special 'Rape Jokes.'
Are rape jokes having have a #MeToo moment? Caroline and Cristen talk to comic Cameron Esposito about her new stand-up special, 'Rape Jokes,' and discover a history of this humor that'll change how y'all hear rape jokes today. Trigger warning: This episode contains conversations (and two very unfunny jokes) about sexual assault.
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More from Cameron
Watch the new set, Rape Jokes, and donate to RAINN if you can.
Listen: Queery // Back to Back // Marriage Material // Same Sex Symbol
Watch: Take My Wife
Resources
RAINN, the nation's largest anti-sexual violence organization
A list of resources compiled by WOAR, Philadelphia's only rape crisis center
Rape Crisis England & Wales, a network of rape crisis centers
A list of hotlines and other resources for Australian listeners
Sources
Call Your Girlfriend. Episode 129: Cameron Esposito. Jan. 26, 2018.
Czajkowski, Elise. In ‘Asking for It,’ Adrienne Truscott Reappropriates the Rape Joke. The New York Times. April 10, 2015.
Dickie, Simon. "Rape Jokes and the Law" in Cruelty and Laughter: Forgotten Comic Literature and the Unsentimental Eighteenth Century. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 2011.
Esposito, Cameron. Being a Comic and a Punchline. AV Club. May 9, 2014.
Esposito, Cameron. What It's Like to Be a Woman in Comedy. AV Club. May 23, 2014.
Fox, Jesse David. Cameron Esposito Is Taking Rape Jokes Back for Survivors. Vulture. May 28, 2018.
Hairston, Tahirah. Meet the Woman Making Rape Jokes that Are Actually Funny. Splinter. June 24, 2016.
Kingston, Anne. Ever Hear the One About the Chick Who Got Raped? Maclean's. July 9, 2007.
Leyton, Katherine. Laughing it off: What Happens When Women Tell Rape Jokes? Bitch. Aug. 14, 2013.
Lockwood, Patricia. Rape Joke. The Awl. July 25, 2013.
Merrill, Lisa. Feminist Humor: Rebellious and Self-Affirming. Women's Studies. Vol. 15, Iss. 1-3. Pp. 271-280. 1988.
Mulshine, Molly. Who Gets to Tell a Rape Joke? Elle. April 26, 2018.
NPR. Hugs for Hecklers: Cameron Esposito on Life as a Lesbian Comedian. Oct. 11, 2014.
Robinson, Joanna. The #MeToo Movement Has a Place in Comedy: Just Ask Cameron Esposito. Vanity Fair. May 23, 2018.
Solnit, Rebecca. If Rape Jokes Are Finally Funny It's Because They're Targeting Rape Culture. The Guardian. Aug. 10, 2015.
Wilstein, Matt. Cameron Esposito’s ‘Rape Jokes’ Is the First Great Stand-Up Set of the #MeToo Era. Daily Beast. April 26, 2018.
WTF with Marc Maron. Episode 575: Cameron Esposito. Feb. 9, 2015.
