Anna Eden’s casual comment on rape has triggered discussions on such rape jokes regularly doing the rounds on social media – this is not the first time that influential personalities have trivialised serious issues and used social media to air controversial statements.
“This particular comment trivialised both the issue of rape and the agony that the floods bring to people in the city,” said Megha Mariam Shaji, third-year student, Government Model Engineering College. There was no humour in it for people who have had to face either, she said.
“Such comments normalise the violence that rape involves,” said Niranjan M.S., third-year student, National University of Advanced Legal Studies. “Though we look like a progressive society, within families and institutions Kerala is still deeply patriarchal. The comment, coming from a person belonging to a very privileged class shows how rampant such rape jokes are.”
“Memes and even comment sections on social media are often abusive towards women,” said Anna Kattampally, first-year Communicative English student at St. Teresa’s College. “In the virtual world, people can sit behind a device and make inappropriate comments,” she said. Memes and trolls on social media only normalise such jokes and add to a pervasive rape culture, Mr. Niranjan said.
“Though social media is an open, free platform, people, particularly influential ones, should be responsible while posting on it,” said Renu Devdas, third-year Communicative English student at St. Teresa’s College. “Such comments can make us immune and desensitised towards issues that we should be protesting,” she said.
