OMG! Shocking cartoon in today's Metro - serial rapists are fanicable apparantly

[Katiekitty]

Oh my god, I am unable to make any sense of this - in today's Metro, page 31, the This Life cartoon shows this:

Two women in a bar, one drinking wine, one says to the other: "I met him on the internet - he's not interested in football, games consoles, old cars or the history channel - who cares if he's a serial rapist?'

This is absolutely disgusting! Or am I missing the point here or something? It's on a page with horoscopes, puzzles and sudoku - a bit of lighthearted stuff, then a joke about serial rapists. Not funny. Or AIBU?

I've logged a complaint with the newspaper editor, I wonder if they'll have the gumption to explain how this slipped through and got into the newspaper?

Please feel free to tell me I'm experiencing a sense of humour bypass and showing unreasonableness, but I think I'm right here...

Are you sure you are on the right thread, who has blamed a victim?

Muffle - sorry, I didn't know you were looking for a reply.

I would have to say that YOU are the one reading this into the cartoon, thankfully because you can see that.

And, because people of all levels of thinking read the Metro (note, I'm not saying class, or calling anyone a pleb) because peole of all abilities of thinking read it, some people will read it differently.

Look at all the different interpretations we've had here!

I'm repeating certain points because other posters aren't justifying their comments. I ask why rape was used and not another awful crime. I say it's because they're women. Would the same 'joke' be used if it was two men talking?

You can see the 'satire' other people may not. Some people may read this on their way into work who have been raped and feel worse for it, some men may read it and think, hey ho, women don't mind a bit of rape, some people may read it and feel there's no escape from their DV situation. Who knows who's going to read it, maybe children will becaue it's on the funnies page?

It's put into a free newspaper, so anyone can read it. Everyone has different levels of intelligence.

i do see the point you are making wily, penelope and muffle.

but if you are regular readers of metro you will probably know that this cartoonist is just not sophisticated enough to be doing that.

what you see in that 'joke' is all there is. no double meaning or comment on internet dating. no "irony, derision, or wit" hedgewitch.

Penelope - you wrote: no the joke is warning of the dangers of internet dating and how SOME women will accept people like that.

like hedgewitch said, look in relationships

Yes - but I as I've already said: Relationships if for serious advice, there'd be a meltdown if a posted replied that a serial rapist is a viable dating option.

This cartoon is in a throwaway section of a free paper.

I dont read metro (in fact today is the first time I have even heard of it) in fact I generally dont read the cartoons at all...they are generally trying to be funny and failing.

I do respect all those points dittany and I know you are right about women who are embroiled in relationships with abusive men. But why do women continue to develop relationships with men in the early stages when they know there are warning signs - that's what the cartoon is about. As has been mentioned on this thread, women begin relationships with men convicted of abuse, even rape and murder. And more commonly, they ignore early warning signs such as verbal abuse and controlling behaviour, at a stage when they could just say "no thanks, I don't want another date".

I think it is because of a problem with respect for women in society - respect from both en and from women themselves, for themselves. I think that needs to be addressed and a cartoon like this that says "what are you thinking? why would you for a second consider a man with unsavoury features just because he ticks other boxes" has a strong and valid point to make IMO.

Im sorry I just dont see that in this day and age of vocal angry people any cartoonist/editor would print a joke about rape - I just dont see it happening.

Yes like the two black eyes one mentioned lower down - an out-and-out, misogynist, sexist and nasty joke. I think there's a vast difference between that and this cartoon - and I would be surprised if anyone can find a cartoon like that in the mainstream press.

is it not a satirical observation about internet dating/shortage of nice men. playing upon stereotypical belief internet dating mainly football loving,games consoles playing,old cars loving or the history channel geeks.

rather than hee hee aren't serial rapists so funny

dv one on page two too..

i'm spartacus. or should that be sportacus...

some of you can find alleged subjugation and oppression of women any where.

scottishmummy - i kept trying to suggest it was a joke about the paltry state of masculinity, but no-one read my posts lol. so i wandered off onto other cartoonists webpages instead

Scottishmummy - yes, but a cartoon depicting a woman saying she'd wouldn't care if she dated a serial rapist is going some way to keeping women humble and inferior. It's not sublte, the cartoonist uses the crime generally perceived as most despicable to a woman - rape.

It's going to be personal for a lot of the paper's readers and it's going to let some men think their behaviour is acceptable.

Or, internet dating is full of serial rapists, but at least they're not geeks, eh girls? What some women will do for a date eh? (am being satirical here, as I'm sure you'll have noticed)

madwoman - I wasn't sure what your reply could possibly be referring to:

because it's about masulinity - what makes a real man - ie someone dateworthy. sex. with women. loads of 'em. not kittens. or children.
it's what she waaaaants, baby.

• so I ignored it. It made no sense.

oo, you are a card.

"I was raped by a Jewish doctor. It was bittersweet." Sarah Silvermen (Jewish commedian). Funny or not?

that's when i got bored lol. i'd posted a lot of what i thought were sensible curious wondering comments, but everyone was too busy being appalled by rape and subjugation of women. by that point i'd given up trying to attract any comment to a serious post, so thought i'd attempt something that someone might notice. guess which one you found?

the butt of the joke,object of derision is males.this isn't feminism,this is an over zealous conspiracy theories gone daft

oh they are always oppressing women.joking about our very being.trivialising rape.justifying bestiality and violence.

it was in response to your rather facile question asking why the cartoonist hadn't used paedophiles or kitten murderers instead of rapists.
the woman is apparently looking for sex. not someone to babysit her children or pets.