I must say, I'm not so much a fan of the whole books-as-art thing because I hate seeing books abused in any way. And these particular old encyclopedias look like they were rad (I hope there's more of them out there). However, it is a very striking piece.
P.S. if you were curious, spellcheck does not recognized "rad"
@pear.shaped.Sara: There's an Iraqi artist who created some really awesome collages from the remains of books from the Baghdad Academy of Fine Arts, which was looted and destroyed in the initial invasion in 2003. It makes me sad, but it's also pretty great how he managed to breathe new life into books that were already destroyed.
It's not funny when Sarah is drunk (or something else?) on stage on a bad night crying and talking about her rape in detail. It is sad. Only to get worse when she started telling black jokes.
I love your posts, Megan. I never caught your post about your sexual issue not being a political issue, but I read it and I couldn't agree more. My mother did not report my molestation/rape when I was a child because she knew it was best for me. Of course, this is very controversial because of platitudes like, "well, it was your mother's responsibility to prevent him from ever doing that to someone else." But the reality is, I was too young to be put on any stand and recount what had happened to me, because I had no idea what any of it meant or that it was bad. Anyways, I find rape jokes funny, always. The more fucked up, the better! But for some reason that South Park episode truly disturbed me, which I find funny, as well. :)
I think humor is a vital coping mechanism, which is why I don't think rape jokes should be off limits. Wanda Sykes' stranger rape joke really illuminates that in a way, all women are affected by rape, just to much different degrees (and I'm saying this as a "victim" myself - fear of rape even before it actually happened to me really affected much of my behavior, and certainly my stress levels.) I think there's a place for them, and at the very least they get people talking about it more.
@bite.me: I think the reason that Wanda Sykes bit is one of the funniest things I've ever seen is because of the sense of freedom she presents when we stop looking at our vaginas as the most important part of our deepest selves. It's so freeing to acknowledge all of the rest of us that is valuable and worthwhile and the freedom from fear of rape that we all deserve.
And it's also a call for freedom of ambiguity that we are so often accused of when we say we were raped and the rapist says we consented: Of course, I didn't go there to have sex...I didn't even bring my vagina!
So, yes, I laugh hysterically whenever I see this, but I think that only Wanda Sykes could quite make this joke go just as she makes the Tiger Woods/O J Simpson joke go.
Its really hard for me to figure out how to express my emotions on this subject. I still really have trouble even saying what happened to me, so I suppose its hard for me to find the humour in these clips. I use to try and tell myself what happened to me was nothing and I shouldn't be so bothered by it because it wasn't a big deal so when i see people are able to make something that is serious into a joke, i don't know it doesn't sit well with me.
I did however really like Wanda Sykes idea. She has a point. If there was nothing under my dress worth how do i word it? going after (god i even have trouble typing about it) then i'd probably be a far more relaxed human being.
@bellebleu: (((belleblue)))What happened to you wasn't nothing. It was horrible! It wasn't your fault. And you have every right to be confused and hurt and angry about it. I hope that you can find your way through all of this. I know it's not easy in any way to do so, but I hope you can and can find some peace eventually.
you know, I was raped for several years as a child. Whenever I try and make light of that, most people I am speaking to(close friends) look at me in horror. But then I get offended when people make jokes about child molestation, so I dunno. On the one hand, anything to lighten the stigma is good, but also I think there are times when you feel like someone shouldn't be lightening that was so hard for you to deal with. I guess, too, it does depend on where you are in the process of dealing with it, and the circumstances. Usually, a rape joke doesn't go into detail; it is flip, and tosses out the word. I have never seen someone go into much detail in rape jokes, which, may be crossing the line. I guess I am pretty conflicted on this?
@Pleasure: Pleasure, again, very sorry to hear of what you have had to endure and sort through.
I hope that you felt comfortable making a reply to that comment and expressing what you expressed here: that the commenter made you uncomfortable because it was not clear to you whether she truly understood what your experience has been like. If you didn't, maybe you could send that person a private message.
I've found that most commenters here are well-intended and respond well to feedback.
And it's a lesson to all of us that the written word can be easily misconstrued, even if the intent was benign.
Hope you can get that sorted, and I hope it was a misunderstanding. If it wasn't, talk to Hortense. That's why she's here, after all. ;)
I'm actually pretty stunned that The Office joke has stirred up as much controversy as it has. I mean, Kelly as portrayed as an airhead, and kind of a delusional one (well, at times) at that. Given her personality and how she would expect Michael to react to that statement...its clearly her just trying to get OUT of trouble. That's HER - and she's not at all supposed to represent all women, yet it seems many have overlooked that. (And hell, its as much of a crack at Michael as anything else given his "you can't keep doing that" comment as it suggests she may have avoided trouble by telling him that before.)
I say this with due respect - but are we that sensitive to a WORD? Yes, clearly there are horrific connotations that I don't downplay...but that's not where the humor lies in this situation. Its pure absurdity here.
I just have to say that I love you all so much. There is nowhere else where I could read about, discuss, rethink, and rethink again about rape and humor, without feeling creeped out, violated and/or chastised than Jezebel. Thank you all for your awesomeness.
But it is a different crime, like someone robbing someone or selling them drugs is. That doesnt mean the police should gather evidence differently though.
But to not see the obvious difference between rape and robbery is a bit strange to me.
@ArtfulSlingerBARACKED THE VOTE: I can see why the police would have asked about possible intoxication, as it could reflect on how the victim/witness would stand up in court, regardless of the crime in question.
The questions about relationship status and flirting are over the line, but would most likely be asked by the prosecutor. Which may be why they were asked by the police.
@theysaidwhat: Of course, as I'd said in an earlier comment, it occurred in the context of a break-in. And I admitted to being drunk, which was something they confirmed with a BAC test at the hospital.
@Megan: I posted before I saw your reply about this crime occurring in the context of a break-in. Makes the questions about your relationship and flirting seem very odd indeed.
06/24/09
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P.S. if you were curious, spellcheck does not recognized "rad"
06/24/09
But that's totally OT, so I'll bring it back to books-as-art, and say: Now that you put it that way, I love it less. Sigh. Thankspear.shaped.Sara!
06/24/09
[www.qasimsabti.com]
06/24/09
I cannot think of a cooler use of old encyclopedias, that is incredible.
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But as a victim myself.
I stand up and applaud you because you're so damn right it's not even funny...or...is it??
11/20/08
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And it's also a call for freedom of ambiguity that we are so often accused of when we say we were raped and the rapist says we consented: Of course, I didn't go there to have sex...I didn't even bring my vagina!
So, yes, I laugh hysterically whenever I see this, but I think that only Wanda Sykes could quite make this joke go just as she makes the Tiger Woods/O J Simpson joke go.
11/20/08
I still really have trouble even saying what happened to me, so I suppose its hard for me to find the humour in these clips. I use to try and tell myself what happened to me was nothing and I shouldn't be so bothered by it because it wasn't a big deal so when i see people are able to make something that is serious into a joke, i don't know it doesn't sit well with me.
I did however really like Wanda Sykes idea. She has a point. If there was nothing under my dress worth how do i word it? going after (god i even have trouble typing about it) then i'd probably be a far more relaxed human being.
11/20/08
11/20/08
For Wanda....
11/20/08
11/20/08
Conflict is the genesis of humor, is it not?
11/20/08
Yesterday, there was a thread about the girl who's stepdad/whatever 'encouraged' her to become a prostitute when she was 18.
My father molested me. And one commentator made a super-funny joke about incest, while acknowledging it was inappropriate.
I felt... well, I'm not sure how I felt. If I KNEW for sure that she was sympathetic, it wouldn't bother me. But I don't - and it bothered me.
11/20/08
I hope that you felt comfortable making a reply to that comment and expressing what you expressed here: that the commenter made you uncomfortable because it was not clear to you whether she truly understood what your experience has been like. If you didn't, maybe you could send that person a private message.
I've found that most commenters here are well-intended and respond well to feedback.
And it's a lesson to all of us that the written word can be easily misconstrued, even if the intent was benign.
Hope you can get that sorted, and I hope it was a misunderstanding. If it wasn't, talk to Hortense. That's why she's here, after all. ;)
11/20/08
I say this with due respect - but are we that sensitive to a WORD? Yes, clearly there are horrific connotations that I don't downplay...but that's not where the humor lies in this situation. Its pure absurdity here.
11/20/08
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But to not see the obvious difference between rape and robbery is a bit strange to me.
11/20/08
The questions about relationship status and flirting are over the line, but would most likely be asked by the prosecutor. Which may be why they were asked by the police.
11/20/08
11/20/08