Hobgoblin pub, Brighton Image: Adam Bruderer
TRIGGER WARNING Hey! Guys, I have come up with a great trick for you to work out all by yourself how to use the word rape correctly in a joke! It's rather like the old trick to help you decide whether you should use “and I” or “and me” in a sentence, by taking out some of the words and seeing if that's still what you want to say. Try switching the word 'rape' in your joke to 'murder' or 'Grievous Bodily Harm', basically another devastating crime and see if it is still funny. Funny ha-ha not funny peculiar. No? Then it's probably not a joke.
I do apologise for censoring those with the good fortune to be made entirely of funny bones. However it's funny how what starts off as being (unfunny) niche and edgy can creep into the common vernacular, isn't it?
I do apologise for censoring those with the good fortune to be made entirely of funny bones. However it's funny how what starts off as being (unfunny) niche and edgy can creep into the common vernacular, isn't it?
I blame celebrity culture. One moment we were able to just note that Kim Basinger was married (yeah we're going way back) to a Baldwin. Kim Basinger and Alec Baldwin. Together. Not together. Then, in the 2000s it happened. We started to meld celebrity couples together, as one. Gwyneth Paltrow and Brad Pitt's matching hairdos probably planted the seed in the late 90s. All of a sudden it wasn't enough to just know of a famous pairing, what did their names combined become? TomKat, Brangelina and remember Bennifer? Yes, the art of the portmanteau really hit its stride come the new millennium.
It's all fun and games until someone loses an eye in an acrimonious divorce. Or until we start portmanteau-ing everything. It appears the word 'rape' is fair game when it comes to words that can be played around with. If it's clear you're referring to a field of yellow rape or rapeseed oil then fine. But it appears there's little to no comedy to be found in that. What's really comedy gold is the act, the crime of rape. Even funnier? Making Facebook and rape into a cute portmanteau. Y'know, for when your friend jokingly posts an unflattering status update on your unattended Facebook: Dude! You got fraped!
When I POUND someone with the facts I don't say "HAHA FACTUAL BODILY HARM!" Because it's a rare moment when the crime Actual Bodily Harm is in any way, shape or form funny. Therefore to portmanteau it with the word fact (which is what I did there, in case you didn't notice) is a little insulting to those who have suffered or witnessed ABH.
It is irksome enough to see my Facebook news-feed featuring comments that say “Frape!” almost every day. It is plain offensive to see the fake word used in a marketing campaign. Facebook group Wipeout Sexism on FB spotted that Brighton's Hobgoblin pub had a new Christmassy poster. It is called Festive Frape, if you include “Hobgoblin” in your status and get 3 or more likes you get a free shot.
It's all fun and games until someone loses an eye in an acrimonious divorce. Or until we start portmanteau-ing everything. It appears the word 'rape' is fair game when it comes to words that can be played around with. If it's clear you're referring to a field of yellow rape or rapeseed oil then fine. But it appears there's little to no comedy to be found in that. What's really comedy gold is the act, the crime of rape. Even funnier? Making Facebook and rape into a cute portmanteau. Y'know, for when your friend jokingly posts an unflattering status update on your unattended Facebook: Dude! You got fraped!
When I POUND someone with the facts I don't say "HAHA FACTUAL BODILY HARM!" Because it's a rare moment when the crime Actual Bodily Harm is in any way, shape or form funny. Therefore to portmanteau it with the word fact (which is what I did there, in case you didn't notice) is a little insulting to those who have suffered or witnessed ABH.
It is irksome enough to see my Facebook news-feed featuring comments that say “Frape!” almost every day. It is plain offensive to see the fake word used in a marketing campaign. Facebook group Wipeout Sexism on FB spotted that Brighton's Hobgoblin pub had a new Christmassy poster. It is called Festive Frape, if you include “Hobgoblin” in your status and get 3 or more likes you get a free shot.
| Where to start. First of all the idea this didn't strike one person involved in the making of this is horrifying. Clearly they didn't, because so in love with the alliteration of Festive Frape were they, that they designed the poster so that 'estive' and 'rape' share the same F. That way the 'rape' bit's still clear. | When I POUND someone with the facts I don't say "HAHA FACTUAL BODILY HARM!" |
Second of all when someone went in to complain about the poster they received a baffled response from the shift manager, because apparently frape is a legitimate word. It's in the online Urban Dictionary and has no connection to rape. While I can forgive someone not understanding the difference between colloquialism or slang, it does depress me that a person, when informed something is offensive because it makes a joke of rape, can brush it off as a mere inconvenient misunderstanding.
Even some of the commenters on the Wipeout Sexism on FB failed to see why this was offensive: “It's about facebook hijacking, not 'festivaly' attacking people. They haven't claimed anything to do with Rape. Come on people let's focus on actual sexism.” Yeah people, quit yammering on about social media slang that appropriates and belittles a term used for violating someone's body. I await news on how the Hobgoblin will deal with this campaign and an update on what actual sexism is.
Squeamish Kate
Even some of the commenters on the Wipeout Sexism on FB failed to see why this was offensive: “It's about facebook hijacking, not 'festivaly' attacking people. They haven't claimed anything to do with Rape. Come on people let's focus on actual sexism.” Yeah people, quit yammering on about social media slang that appropriates and belittles a term used for violating someone's body. I await news on how the Hobgoblin will deal with this campaign and an update on what actual sexism is.
Squeamish Kate
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