Backlash after WC rape jokes flood Twitter

I think people should be able to make those jokes, although they obviously aren't funny whatsoever. Of course actual racism is possibly the most abhorrent thing ever.

There is an argument that 'actual racism' and a society that accepts racist jokes might overlap?

Conext is important too, Paddy jokes are a lot less sinister now, as the situation of the Irish in Britain has changed, considerably.
 
There is an argument that 'actual racism' and a society that accepts racist jokes might overlap?

Conext is important too, Paddy jokes are a lot less sinister now, as the situation of the Irish in Britain has changed, considerably.

Yeah those points are fair enough.
 
Reminds me of this



That's an entirely different circumstance tbf. Using rape as a metaphor in an unrelated sporting context, or in a context that's part of a satire (like Brass Eye would, and in fact did) is another matter from directly taunting or insulting the victims of rape or racism. Which would be the equivalent of that bit.

Again, intent and context are the important things here. Not the word.
 
I used the word draconian, and I didn't insult you. Did I?
:lol: No, maybe my intelligence if I'm being charitable, but you might want to polish up those debating skills if you don't want to look like a total idiot.
People who get offended by jokes about things tend to be pretty stupid, and it's kind of funny to toy with their emotions, like when you pretend to throw a ball for a dog and it gets really sad until it realises the ball's actually in your hand. I get a kick out of that.

I tend to be pretty stupid.
 
:lol: No, maybe my intelligence if I'm being charitable, but you might want to polish up those debating skills if you don't want to look like a total idiot.

Why? That's pretty insulting tbf.

Would you mind pointing out or discussing what you disliked or disagreed with about my post. Rather than simply insulting me.

Perhaps with your polished debating skills.
 
Last edited:
On a side note, throughout the last few months I think I've had to edit several posts of mine to remove the word "spastic" (fortunately I tend to always read my posts after posting). I didn't really know the meaning of the word before coming here, which was my first mass exposure to discussion in English language. So to me, it was just a synonymous for idiot, which I learned here. I did always know what spastic is on medical terms, but the connection was completely lost on my mind until I read the first thread about someone being uncomfortable with it and thought "oh, right". Exactly the same for "Ihni binni dimi diniwiny anitaime" and other terms.

With rape (in football), well, I might have used it often for the same reasons. Or perhaps not, but at least I never read it or heard it and felt it was inappropriate, until I saw the first discussion about it, somewhere else. Again the intricacies of discussing in a different language than our own. Its Portuguese translation though, would surely look very strange and distasteful to me if used in the same way (we don't).
 
These things are ingrained in our and most societies to be honest. It's completely wrong, regardless of context, but unfortunately that is the current state of society.

I doubt those who say these things even have the thought of the actual meaning of the word in their minds when they say it.

However, just because these words are so trivially used doesn't mean we should not try and eliminate them. Sometimes things like fhis are good for all of us to actually realise what we are saying isn't a joke to some people.
 
99% of us in this thread - even the comedians cited - are male, and as such are less likely to be directly affected by rape; this doesn't make for an outstanding discussion about the use of the word.
 
That's an entirely different circumstance tbf. Using rape as a metaphor in an unrelated sporting context, or in a context that's part of a satire (like Brass Eye would, and in fact did) is another matter from directly taunting or insulting the victims of rape or racism. Which would be the equivalent of that bit.

Again, intent and context are the important things here. Not the word.

Yeah. My mind wandered and I smiled. So I shared it. I'm that nice.
 
If this thread has taught us anything it's that people should really be aware of what they're saying. T-don and his "screwed means literary the same thing as raped" being the main candidate for most idiotic post of the decade. And there's a difference been doug stanhope or louis ck using such dramatic words to tbe swathes of people on twitter @Mockney, difference being that they actually take the time to consider what they're saying and don't just roll them out casually. You don't have to censor anything to want people go be civilized with one another.
 
I don't get offended by much, and normally just say what I want and what I find funny. If that offends someone I'll generally apologise for causing them offence, as that wouldn't be my intention. It probably wouldn't stop me using the same phrase or the same word again though, if I found it funny and the situation arose.

That being said, there are times and places for the use of certain terms. Things I'd say in the pub with my mates aren't what I'd say out for dinner with my missus and her family, or in a work meeting or whatnot.

I don't really believe in censorship of language, sticks and stones and all that, but context, knowing your surroundings and your audience are all important. I probably quite often use terms here I shouldn't use, as I might have a different view of what kind of audience an internet forum should be deemed as, but in that case it's up to the audience to decide if I've offended them, and the people in place to police this place to decide if I've broken rules.

Most things are fair game, for me, to be honest.
 
Why? That's pretty insulting tbf.
Good. Glad I managed to hit home.
Would you mind pointing out or discussing what you disliked or disagreed with about my post. Rather than simply insulting me.

Perhaps with your polished debating skills.
Regarding that last barb, you're the one with the urbane intellectual gentleman persona, Mockney. Leave me out, I'm a simple lass.

Anyway, you wrote --
To say rape as a topic for humour should never be acceptable, in ANY context, is flawed and draconian.

The legitimacy of the offence depends on the context and the intent. Everyone is potentially offended by something. Censoring accordingly isn't nice, it's authoritarian.
This, to me, reads as the classic Daily Heil commenter, and I lost it Luiz-style. ~~"Everyone is potentially offended by something." This shit.

Not a single person in this thread said it should never be acceptable. We were discussing one give case of tweets. But the way I percieved it you sided with the Heil commenting white van drivers, fedora redditors and 4channers.

And I'm sorry, I went too far.
My general point still stands -- it's not hard to refrain from rape analogies or rape jokes if it hurts and bothers people. Preferably without the nauseating justifications. Just don't.
 
A 1-7 loss at home in a World Cup semifinal definitely warrants the term 'raped'. Not sure what constitutes an "acceptable" term, but it's an apt one. Graphic pics and gifs of actual sexual assault though? Different story, and definitely unacceptable.

Glad that's clarified.

Please also tell us that which other situations definitely warrants the term raped. We all would like to improve our vocabulary.
 
Ok, I guess one could call the other definitions archaic, as it is only very seldomly used in a different context. (Both merriam-webster.com and oxforddictionaries.com still have it down as a valid and current definition however).

The process of decimation isn't any less cruel than rape though, is it? So why's one offending, and the other isn't?

(I want to clear something up though: I'm not saying I appreciate the word rape in the context of a sporting event. It is as Dwazza has pointed out, a lazy choice, even if it were fitting, which it's not. However I won't judge anybody who does so, and think those offended by it are wasting their energy on a issue as petit as this.)

Interesting point regarding decimation, as the original process certainly is quite disturbing; however, even though that original definition is also archaic it seems that decimation was used as punishment for serious offences, which might be acceptable given the historical context.
 
This, to me, reads as the classic Daily Heil commenter, and I lost it Luiz-style. ~~"Everyone is potentially offended by something." This shit.

Not a single person in this thread said it should never be acceptable. We were discussing one give case of tweets. But the way I percieved it you sided with the Heil commenting white van drivers, fedora redditors and 4channers.

So, basically, you made a strawman?

I'd associate a black and white emotional reaction followed by a patronising and knowingly disingenuous attempt to demonise an alternative view with exaggerated examples with the Daily Mail far more than what I wrote, which was a passing comment about considering context and intent, and responding mostly to Snow & Raoul's discussion and the Gervais video posted within it. But that's just me.

Getting angry at what people tweet is hardly a broadsheet concern either tbf.
 
Last edited:
Political correctness these days..

I advice some people to watch the southpark episode "the f word"

Its not the exact same thing but it should work. nothing wrong with the phrase rape in sports
 
At the end of the day, in my off-base opinion, it also depends largely on not just your audience but the potential scope of your audience. Those who have posted these jokes on Twitter are not just spreading them amongst a select few friends, they are sending them worldwide to a vast audience. It's much more likely to offend on that basis as not everyone will agree with the use of that terminology. The difference between telling a joke on Twitter and telling a joke amongst friends is that your friends will implicitly understand the connotation of that word and will probably share the same type of humour. But other people? Not so much.
 
You could use the argument (and I'm sure Gervais and his ilk do) that by tweeting you're sending your opinions only to people who follow you, and that by following someone, you should be aware of the style of tweeting and sense of humour they're likely to use. Giving it at least some form of context.

Twitter may be perceived as a free for all attention orgy, but there is a method to it. You aren't actually sending your opinions to everyone.
 
Last edited:
No biggie. I make them all the time. They've got a bad rap. They can be very amusing for point making.
 
Political correctness these days..

I advice some people to watch the southpark episode "the f word"

Its not the exact same thing but it should work. nothing wrong with the phrase rape in sports
Its got nothing to do with political correctness. Its an unnecessary and vulgar metaphor used in a commonplace manner so much so that it ends up trivializing an act such as rape or murder. I agree most people don't mean anything by it and are just trying to emphasize their point, but still there are other ways of expressing themselves. Also, it shows a serious lack of vocabulary.
 
Well I can't say I'm too familiar with Twitter myself as I'm not an avid user but I do understand the basics of it. Then again, tweets, especially the more controversial ones will often be highly publicised and released beyond the usual followers a person has. The sheer amount of people whose tweets have been about this very subject we discuss now is quite something.
 
Got bored after the first two pages, anyone care to summarize where we are at please?
 
The sheer amount of people whose tweets have been about this very subject we discuss now is quite something.

Well the game was the most tweeted about sports event in history.

Once it becomes a thing it gets discussed more. Once it gets discussed more the loudest and stupidest will have their say. There's a backlash. A backlash against the backlash. Another couple of backlashes for good measure. And round and round the mulberry bush it goes, thousands and thousands of tweets later. It's the nature of these things tbf.

Even the article in the OP has more tweets decrying the use of the word than tweets actually using the word in a disrespectful manner tbf (not that that's necessarily a representation of the real amounts)..I don't think we're really in danger of slipping into Gomorrah yet. Though a good discussion is always worthwhile.
 
I'm all against the PC brigade, but there's been a growing trend in trivialising rape on the internet for a few years now. It's almost becoming a laughing matter with some, which is worrying.
 
Well the game was the most tweeted about sports event in history.

Once it becomes a thing it gets discussed more. Once it gets discussed more the loudest and stupidest will have their say. There's a backlash. A backlash against the backlash. Another couple of backlashes for good measure. And round and round the mulberry bush it goes, thousands and thousands of tweets later. It's the nature of these things tbf.

Even the article in the OP has more tweets decrying the use of the word than tweets actually using the word in a disrespectful manner tbf (not that that's necessarily a representation of the real amounts)..I don't think we're really in danger of slipping into Gomorrah yet. Though a good discussion is always worthwhile.

Unless Weaste posts another photo again. Yeesh.
 
I'm all against the PC brigade, but there's been a growing trend in trivialising rape on the internet for a few years now. It's almost becoming a laughing matter with some, which is worrying.

Have you ever played online games? The term "raped!!" has been common for decades. Probably along with dozens of other vulgarities but raped is one of the most commonly used, and universally accepted verb for getting destroyed online.
 
Jeez, this is like a discussion between white guys about how they were affected by the 60s civil rights movement: "Welllllll, once my taxi was stuck behind a bus for ten whole minutes, but other than that I can't see why people are bothered by racism. I wish they'd put a sock in it."
 
There's definitely a culture on the internet to be unwarrantedly threatened by and aggressive towards feminism.
 
How come we're never slipping or slouching into Sodom? Why is it always the other one?
 
Maybe it's because slipping into Sodom sounds like an excuse made by play-away husbands when caught by their wives with their secretaries.

"I slipped into her. And then I slipped into her again. Honest."