Obama to Entertainers: Stop Making Jokes About Prison Rape

[sufrommich]

In a wide-ranging speech before the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People on criminal justice reform, President Barack Obama implored popular entertainment outlets to stop making jokes about prison rape.

“We should not tolerate conditions in prison that have no place in any civilized country,” Obama said to applause. “We should not be tolerating overcrowding in prison. We should not be tolerating gang activity in prison.”

“We should not be tolerating rape in prison, and we shouldn’t be making jokes about it in our popular culture,” Obama added. “That is no joke. These things are unacceptable.”


http://www.mediaite.com/tv/obama-to-entertainers-stop-making-jokes-about-prison-rape/

[AngryAmish]

1. He is talking to you, DU.

[Live and Learn]

14. +1 nt

[lumberjack_jeff]

25. +10 n/t

[mopinko]

36. +another 1

i cant believe the juries dont hide them.
perhaps with this little tidbit of advice, they will.
tho for a few, i am sure this advice leads the wrong way.

[steve2470]

44. +1 nt

[madokie]

47. Yup shore 'nuf

[NuclearDem]

61. And the prison rape joke apologists are here.

Wonderful.

[Rex]

63. No he is just talking to you and nobody else.

Seriously, grow up.

[blackspade]

89. Yep.

[lisby]

105. Yes, indeed.

I'm sick to death of rape being made a joke. Stop it.

[pipoman]

2. Yet after 8 years we are still imprisoning victimless crime

And the justice department still has a significant budget to enforce victimless criminal laws. While i realize he couldn't change laws, he has all the power to allocate budget and set priorities....8 years to champion meaningful federal prison reform....

[FlatBaroque]

3. It's The Legacy Tour n/t

[mucifer]

4. Yeah, I was hoping that he would work more to reverse Bill Clinton's policies that

caused a lot more non violent people of color to spend many many years in jail.

Even Bill Clinton regrets that now. But, nothing has really changed:

Former US president Bill Clinton has called for an end to mass incarceration, admitting that changes in penal policy that happened largely under his watch put “too many people in prison and for too long” and “overshot the mark”.

As tension remains high in Baltimore and other cities across the country over police brutality, Clinton on Tuesday highlighted the related blight that has struck many urban communities as a result of America’s unparalleled rate of imprisonment. More than 2 million people are still held in captivity in prisons and jails, giving the country 25% of the world’s prison numbers despite having only 5% of its overall population.

During Clinton’s eight years in the White House the incarceration figures saw some of their steepest rises in modern times. Though the numbers had already begun to shoot up under Ronald Reagan’s vaunted war on drugs in the 1980s, Clinton further inflated them.

When he won his first presidential election in 1992 there were 847,000 people in prison. By the time he ended his second term in 2000 that population had grown to 1,334,000.

http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/apr/28/bill-clinton-calls-for-end-mass-incarceration

[Bluenorthwest]

11. Of course that was a national trend, Three Strikes laws were all the rage in 1994....

93-95, 24 States passed such laws.

[7962]

30. I have no problem with 3 strikes for violent crimes

but stealing a stove shouldnt get you life. Stupid stupid stupid.

[mopinko]

37. 6 1/2 years.

[rhett o rick]

75. Well said. He has a lot of power to give the DoJ their priorities. But Holder was busy

imprisoning people for drug crimes in lieu of prosecuting bank crimes.

[Go Vols]

90. +1

[OnyxCollie]

5. Prison rape jokes are just as funny as drone execution jokes. nt

[CharlotteVale]

8. ^^This^^

[raouldukelives]

21. Sad but true. nt

[frylock]

31. +1

[Maven]

73. nailed it

[cwydro]

74. I've seen a lot of both right here

on DU.

[UtahJosh]

6. Too bad he has no power to do anything about it.

“We should not tolerate conditions in prison that have no place in any civilized country,” Obama said to applause.

Glad they applauded and all, but isn't that something the PRESIDENT should do something about?

I mean, if we shouldn't tolerate it, shouldn't he fucking fix it?

[Orrex]

13. What exactly could he do?

I'm not being snarky about this--I honestly don't know what power the president has to effect this kind of change.

[Bluenorthwest]

15. Obama has done more to address prison rape and abuse than any other President, in part because

Congressional efforts during the Bush years created the Prison Rape Elimination Act, which Bush signed as was something of a start, studies were made but action was not taken. Starting in 2012, President Obama and his administration implemented the principles of the Act and introduced the first national standards for prevention, detection and response to prison rape.
In addition, speaking to the world of entertainment with calls to stop joking about a crime is a large part of 'doing something about it' because those jokes in films and stand up sets dehumanize both the prisoners and the listeners and help create a cultural environment that is in turn dehumanized.

Like many other areas of policy, other Presidents have done very little, and Obama has done quite a bit, and while it is not enough to say 'oh, he has solved all the problems' his predecessors solved none of them, few even noted such problems exist.

[mountain grammy]

27. Well said, and, yes, Obama has done quite a bit

and moved forward on this and many other issues. Time for some credit here for implementing prison reform and addressing this long ignored issue. Speaking out is part of "doing something," especially when it's the president of the US speaking.

[mopinko]

40. yeah, i thought this was what the bully pulpit

really meant.

[NuclearDem]

65. It's getting pretty easy to tell who's actually concerned about rape and inmates' rights

and who's simply looking for an outrage.

[TheSarcastinator]

18. He DID do something!

He told people to stop making jokes. That's all he needs to do for applause. It's just like his pardoning of a few non-violent drug offenders last week: the number of people released is so small, especially in the face of the ridiculous incarceration rates around the Drug War, that it amounted to nothing but a marketing ploy.

I would love to see the President actually tackle the issue of the US prison and justice system in a way that makes real change but I won't hold my breath.

[Fred Sanders]

32. New poser, newly outraged over a made up "Obama is a failure theme"...boring, old, tired, Fox stuff.

[Godhumor]

64. I don't know if poser instead of poster was on purpose but either way

Well done.

[davidn3600]

7. Interesting since his own justice department refuses to enforce PREA

[ismnotwasm]

9. K&R

[Politicub]

10. Thank you, Mr. President

I'm looking forward to his speech tomorrow.

[libodem]

12. It isn't funny

And it shouldn't be thought of extra curricular punishment for the privilege of being incarcerated. I believe if you are locked up anywhere your captors are responsible for your health and safety no matter what you did. Same for POWs from any country.

[prayin4rain]

16. Pearl clutcher! !

I'm kidding. It's nice to hear a responsible grown up speak. Go, Obama!

[Iliyah]

17. K & R

[Facility Inspector]

19. We should not be putting people in prison for nonviolent marijuana offenses.

.

[OnlinePoker]

20. I noticed this big time in the last couple of years on cop shows on TV

They get someone in the interrogation room and one of their main techniques is to intimate what happens to pretty boys like them in prison in order to get a statement. It's disgusting.

[yeoman6987]

70. It is not necessary for a tv show,

But it is reality of jail or they would not say it is. The only way to stop it is have one prisoner for every guard to ensure it doesn't happen. Then you have to watch the guards to make sure they don't abuse their prisoner. If they fix this, I'd be very impressed.

[Starry Messenger]

22. K&R

[frazzled]

23. It sounds like a lot of people here need to listen to the speech

which is long, but has specific prescriptions for what he and the Justice Department intend to do, and what Congress and states can and should do.

http://www.c-span.org/video/?327099-4/president-obama-remarks-naacp

Could the administration have addressed this and done more about this before? It's possible. But one thing I've come to understand about this president, and one of the reasons he's been so surprisingly successful in a number of areas, is that he understands that each issue has its right "time" to be pushed. Pushing for something that does not have full public support or will inevitably be quashed by Congress makes it more difficult for that issue to come up again. Finding the right time and place, when the public and Congress (and yes, Republicans, including the Koch brothers even, are suddenly seeing that mass incarceration is not good "business&quot are ready, means potential success. Pulling the trigger too early could mean going back to square one and delaying things even further.

[Fred Sanders]

33. When you have a long range view, like Obama, you can indeed be patient until the timing is right.

[Hekate]

51. ^^^You got it^^^

[alcibiades_mystery]

41. It's become far less common on DU because we've shamed and alerted on people to cut the shit

Years ago, virtually any post on a crime would include references to "Bubba" and other prison rape promotion, especially where the crime involved a child. People were virtually giddy about "Gen Pop" handling the offender.

We alerted on them. We shamed them. We demanded that they spell out their meaning.

Slowly but surely, those kinds of posts disappeared. The Admin apparently got on board, instructing Mods to zap anything suggesting prison rape. Later, juries got the message too.

The next strategy of the prison rape proponents on DU was to do this stupid "Just sayin'" thing, where they would "Just be telling us what happens, not promoting it." It was as dishonest as it was transparent. They were and have been called out consistently, and, luckily, slowly but surely, that shit is disappearing as well. There has to be a zero tolerance policy for prison rape promotion here. But that means we all have to spot it and attack it vigorously wherever we see it, until the sick fucks who post that kind of shit get it through their thick skulls that it is unacceptable.

[Hekate]

52. ^^You got it^^

[Hekate]

50. ^^^This^^^ You got it

[SCVDem]

24. Am I wrong?

I thought that state governors can also commute sentences.

[mopinko]

42. yes they can.

and they do the majority of the locking up in the first place. small time drug busts dont usually end up in federal court.
and most state prison systems are overcrowded enough that they arent going to state prison, either.

[L0oniX]

26. So do something about it! Talk talk talk is just talk.

“We should not tolerate conditions in prison that have no place in any civilized country,” Obama said to applause. “We should not be tolerating overcrowding in prison. We should not be tolerating gang activity in prison.” “We should not be tolerating rape in prison

How about you start by decriminalizing weed.

[Fred Sanders]

34. With respect, Obama's Black Magic JuJu Sticks need to rest for awhile. Been very busy making magic lately.

He will get make to making a Perfect World for All as soon as the sticks are recharged.

He will get on the weed issue right away, so many are complaining about it every time.

[Hekate]

72. Hmmm. In the 3 branches of Federal government, who makes the laws?

[jtuck004]

81. The person who stands up and pushes them through. n/t

[L0oniX]

85. That's right ...and that's why this is just talk talk talk. Real folksy too.

[JI7]

88. so you think it would stop without talking about it ?

[Number23]

92. The one who pushes it through!!1one

Did I really just read that here? Really?

[AlbertCat]

28. should not be tolerating overcrowding in prison.

How about getting rid of prisons for profit then. It only creates a demand for "product"...or prisoners.



And many jokes are about unacceptable things. Of course that doesn't make them funny.


Stop telling people what to say.

[raven mad]

84. +1000

Prisons for profit are as obscene as the fact of prison rape.

[mountain grammy]

29. I've been guilty of this myself and I have friends who have done time.

This is no joke and I, for one, will no longer participate.

[Ed Suspicious]

35. What bothers me a lot is the notion that when we send people to prison that we should take

solace in the idea that other prisoners are likely to met out justice more effectively than our justice system. Prison should not be about sending people to prison where prisoners will do the dirty work of inflicting capital or carnal punishment. That's not justice.

[treestar]

67. very true

and why should other prisoners "get to" do that? It sort of rewards the other prisoners in a way. Pretty sick. Which prisoners get to mete out the punishment and which suffer it? That's not justice. It is mere brute force.

[byronius]

38. Awesome.

[treestar]

39. Cool he could be a DUer!

We're always having that issue.

[Nitram]

43. It has been jokes about prison rape that have kept the issue on the radar.

Just as a joke about Bill Cosby finally got people talking about him and encouraged his victims to push harder for recognition. People just don't get that comics aren't approving the societal ills they satirize, they are bringing them to our attention.

[lame54]

46. w/o the jokes we would pay no attention to it still happening

[NuclearDem]

59. You don't actually believe the majority of prison rape jokes

are somehow clever satire or intended to "raise awareness" about it, do you?

Because if so, I have a bridge to sell you.

[DirkGently]

45. Blaming jokes for our prison disaster is just silly.

Jokes aren't causing the problem. The fact that we lock up a larger percentage of our population, for longer, for things like nonviolent drug offenses, than any civilized nation is the problem.

Blindly passing and applying minimum sentencing and "three strikes" type laws is the problem.

The fact we keep privatizing a public function that absolutely cannot work the way it is supposed to under a profit motive is the the problem.

Overcrowded prisons and a national willingness to throw away human beings because we aren't willing to feed or educate or provide mental health or drug rehabilitation services is the problem.

Fix that, and the jokes will take care of themselves.

[LittleBlue]

49. +1

[Oneironaut]

57. Jokes make it ok.

As long as our prison system is treated lightly, the problems will continue.

[NuclearDem]

60. Someone gets it.

[DirkGently]

66. Well, no. As long as we treat the problem lightly

.. the jokes will continue.

Blaming jokes about bad policy for the existence of the bad policy is like blaming puddles for the rain. It's the same irrational attitude scolds and censors always put forward.

Not talking about problems doesn't magically make them go away.

[Bluenorthwest]

99. It's cute to call jokes about rape 'jokes about bad policy' but they are not the same things.

Joking that some criminal is going to get 'taught a lesson by Bubba' is not a joke about policy, it is a joke about rape as punishment. Lazy comics make jokes about rape because they are incapable of crafting jokes about 'bad policy'.

[DirkGently]

100. Demanding to control what people joke about is silly.

Jokes reflect society; they don't create it.

Not to say that a particular joke could not be tasteless or unworthy, but "Stop making jokes because you're causing bad things to happen" is childish thinking. That's not the way reality works, and it only shows a fundamental misunderstanding of both humor and social interaction on the whole.

Humor relies on truth, or what people believe to be true. It reflects social thinking, but it doesn't create it. Humor often speaks uncomfortable truths, and telling people to shutupshutupshutup accomplishes nothing.

The impulse to silence and censor comes from fearful people who don't understand the world around them, and think that somehow if people don't talk about things, they can make the reality go away.

That's not a thing that can happen. We don't forbid jokes here.

[951-Riverside]

48. Hey Obama! How about holding transgender inmates with the gender they identify with first?

Sure, you'll gladly let transgender people fight your wars but you're not doing a damn thing to help transgender inmates who are raped and beaten in prison.

This is more serious than some idiot telling a joke, don't ya think?

[Fred Sanders]

53. Some folks need to let up on the Obama Outrage Juice. First President to visit a prison. Only kudos.

[Cha]

95. Mahalo Fred.

[Fred Sanders]

97. What a great morning, haven't felt better in weeks. Bet you feel the same!?

[NuclearDem]

56. Your newly discovered concern for inmates is fooling nobody.

[90-percent]

54. I recall some anti-statuatory rape radio commericials in connecticut about 20 years ago

They were talking about how especially hard child molesters have it in prison. Like our state penal system has prison rape built into the system to avenge especially heinous crimes. They were real big on promoting even more violent crime victimhood in prison on top of being in prison already.

-90% Jimmy

[Man from Pickens]

103. You nailed it!

The threat of being extra-legally victimized in prison is the real teeth behind enforcement.

[Oneironaut]

55. Hollywood thinks rape is horrible, but male prison rape is hilarious.

They're all bad people, so they deserve it! It's part of the punishment. Such a civilized, Liberal point of view.

- in case it's not obvious

[Dr. Strange]

58. 'Bout time somebody stood up to Betty White!

[Eric J in MN]

62. There are different types of jokes. Approving and disapproving.

I don't like it when people see a news article about a man they dislike who is going to prison and applaud that he may be raped there.

But that's different from the scene in the comedy "My Cousin Vinny" in which the Ralph Macchio is worried that the Joe Pesci character is going to rape him.

In the first case, prison rape is treated as a good thing, and in the second case, as a bad thing.

[Jefferson23]

68. K&R

[Jester Messiah]

69. Humor, applied correctly, can aid in solving a problem.

It's foolish and dangerous to start taking tools off the table because some people find jokes offensive. It can make people avoid the topic altogether, and then it doesn't get addressed.

[freshwest]

71. Thanks Obama! Saying what needs to be said! n/t

[Tarheel_Dem]

76. Speak on it Mr. President.

[KamaAina]

77. Obama to DUers: Ditto

I've even been guilty on occasion.

[deathrind]

78. I agree with what

President Obama said...

Too bad he did not add that we should not be tolerating for profit prisons as well.

[lupinella]

79. K&R n/t

[tymorial]

80. I so love this guy.

[JDPriestly]

82. This may sound kind of strange, but one good thing would be to require that any gang

tattoos be removed or covered up in prison. I doubt that this could be required, but it should be encouraged, and tattoo removal services should be available. at no charge for prisoners. Removal of GANG tattoos should be strongly encouraged in prison. Those tattoos mark he prisoners as untrustworthy and undesirable as far as non-gang-members are concerned.

[Humanist_Activist]

83. Now this is a President who is not out of touch with the culture or people of this country.

There are certain things that shouldn't be joked about in the larger culture in the way prison rape jokes go, and yes, many DUers are guilty of this. He's aware of this, and stated his opinion on it perfectly, I also perfectly agree with it.

He may not have the power to do anything substantial about it, but we shouldn't expect him to either. He has a platform, let him use it for good.

[Skittles]

86. THANK YOU PRESIDENT OBAMA

I cannot for the life if me understand rape jokes UNDER ANY CONTEXT

[47of74]

87. I'm not convinced that we should turn our prisons into those like we see in Norway

But we should make them into less of warehouses and turn them into places of rehabilitation (if possible) that are more humane.

[Aerows]

91. Step up to the plate

and end corporate prisons for profit.

You could do that instead of just saying that prison rape is wrong. All of us know that. How about keeping people out of prison to begin with? 51% of people in jail are there for drug offenses.

You could halve the number of people getting raped in jail by not having them there in the first place.

[Quayblue]

93. being that I know men who have been raped in prison and women in general

Who have been raped...I should have spoken sooner, and I will from now on.

this shit is not funny...

and I'm on it.

[eridani]

94. Impressive! First time AFAIK that a sitting president has said such a thing n/t

[Catherine Vincent]

96. Amen, Mr. President

[jtuck004]

98. You quit sending your bank$ter/donors money and send them to prison and people

might stop telling jokes - could be that's how they deal with betrayal.

[TwilightGardener]

101. How's that OPM hack being handled? I'm more worried about that than dark/edgy/inappropriate humor

by entertainers.

[HFRN]

102. good for him - always thought it was a vulgar reference that had no place

in polite conversation. standards had to be lowered to allow it

so he's 3 for 3 in 2 days, this, condemnation of cosby, and lowering chance of war with Iran

[daredtowork]

104. Too many rape jokes in entertainment culture period

I got into this with some MRA apologists over casual rape metaphors in gaming and they tricked a jury into banning *me* for trivializing rape. =.= I'm going to be eternally pissed off about that.

The only think they trivialize more than rape is homosexual rape.

This needs to stop from the ground up some how - but without people having to scold each other or being called on being "PC". People need to realized for themselves that they are normalizing and perpetuating a culture of violence when they constantly deal out the rape metaphors. What's even more horrible is that in International contexts of pop culture like gaming where people are getting there first exposure to English, these are the types of mental constructs they are gaining first! This is International American culture to them! One long stream of misogyny and homophobia and jokes about prison rape. People need to learn to express themselves in ways that don't casually demean others.