{ This article contains discussion and references to sexual assault}
It should be a simple notion, to avoid mocking sexual assault, or using it as a punchline or piece of an equation to get views . This however, is a concept that has not translated to a large part of the online community, resulting in an alarming lack of sensitivity, and a dwindling view on the consequence of rape.
I came across a disturbing video of ‘King Bach’s’ on my timeline today. Not only did it lack any actual comedic value or wit, it illustrated sexual assault, then used it as the punchline. The skits condensed plot was King Bach jokingly telling a group of people to ‘suck his dick’ as they entered an elevator, and was then shown http://
Going Down pic.twitter.com/m2aPBdMBED
— King Bach (@KingBach) April 20, 2017
violently forcing them to do so when the doors closed, the skit ending with him zipping up his pants as the other characters were sprawled across the ground, clothes torn off and looking fearful. The gag line was lost in translation, laced somewhere far between the alarming depiction of assault… far, far, between. I assumed my interpretation of the unsettling skit couldn’t be unique, but the Instagram comments followed the pattern of oblivion, consisting mainly of laughing face emoji’s, or the incredibly well thought out and witty; “gay”. (Because men were assaulted in the video as well. Haha hilarious).
After receiving negative feedback about his “harmless” skit, Bach tweeted : ” Ever watched a movie about murder ,theft, assault? As a writer/director/actor, I can create whatever I want. Don’t limit me, thank you.” But, the logic to this defense is distressingly flawed. Viewers aren’t absorbing these Instagram and Twitter posts as pieces of serious film, nor giving them a cinematic analysis that reflects on the trauma and hardship that sexual assault victims endure. No. These videos purposes are to be comedic, and in this case to use rape as a tool to get views, to cater to his audience with the type of crude humor that he believes will elicit a reaction. He, and many others with platforms of this kind, are making light out of sexual assault and rape for their own benefit.
This mechanism isn’t uncommon, it’s an ongoing trend among predominantly male youtubers, viners, and comedians, ranging anywhere from Sam Peppers “nonconsensual butt grabbing”, to using claims of sexual assault as a form of clickbait. Some find it easy to dismiss these acts, or accuse those left unamused as overreacting to something harmless. But, unfortunately, our society is not at a point where we can afford to destigmatize sexual violence, already endangered by the rise of sexual assaulters gaining political power, not to mention the undeniable pattern of rapists and sexual offenders, having a high following on these specific social media platforms, more and more truth coming out about popular viners and youtubers, ( ex. Curtis Lepore, Carter Reynolds)…
The story that King Bach, and numerous others appropriate to have content for a comedy skit, is real, and scarring, and not a punchline. Instead, encourage creators to produce subjects of originality, or that contain any recognizable trace of humor, instead of recreating the traumatic experience of others for profit.
