ChickSpeak

I hear it probably once a day: someone misusing the word “rape” and joking about sexual assault. “I raped that test!” or “They’re raping us with these prices!” I hear constantly.I’m not entirely sure when abuse and increased gas prices started going hand in hand.  Your preparedness for that test is not the equivalent of you sexually assaulting it.

What does that mean, anyway? You did well on the test, so therefore you took advantage of it and hurt it physically and mentally. That’s nothing to be proud of.

Wouldn’t you and that test have rather had a nice, open conversation, ending in you doing well and everyone being happy? I think so.

We are often so careful to not make racial comments when we notice someone of that race is sitting nearby, so why are we so willing to make frequent, blatantly sexist jokes? A sexual assault survivor is likely sitting within earshot.

It may not seem like it, but words are powerful. Everything has a meaning, whether we think we are joking or not. For the same reason racial slurs are not acceptable, sexual assault jokes are not acceptable either.

Are harmful jokes the cause of sexual assault? Is the end of jokes the way to end rape? Of course not.

Negative jokes perpetuate stereotypes. They contribute to a culture where very serious matters are taken lightly. They are certainly not the cause of sexual assault, but they don’t help any.

The end of violence, ignorance and prejudice must start on a very small, personal level. When we change our own behaviors and become unafraid to address the behaviors of others, the gears began to turn.

Ignoring the fact that it is physically impossible for you to rape a test, or for gas prices to rape you, the joke is not a joke at all. And even if it were, it would be one whose punch line really needed work.

Allison Casey is a recent graduate from Appalachian State University. While in school, she worked in the campus Women’s Center where she wrote and delivered programs about sexual assault to classrooms and residence halls. She one day hopes to run a literacy initiative at a non-profit, hates wearing shoes and has a borderline obsession with her new camera.