In Roxane Gay’s article, Daniel Tosh and Rape Jokes: Still Not Funny, the author uses many different tactics and rhetorical strategies to provoke emotion from the reader to further stress her point that the tasteless jokes made by the famous TV star are neither humorous nor should they be acceptable in society. Gay is a respected writer who already has many published works from multiple reliable sources, with a large focus on feminism. From the beginning of this article, through the way that she structures her opening paragraphs, Gay is already helping get her argument across. She then goes on to use immense amounts of pathos, as well as ethos and logos to strengthen her point. Through her careful diction, Gay works to bring light to the fact that rape is no joke.  

The author is an Associate Professor of English at Purdue University. However, she is mostly known for her opinion writings which can be found in the New York Times, as well as her other works of Bad Feminist, Difficult Women, and Hunger. She is not a novice in the subject of women, and has a strong opinion on the way we should be treated. Through those books, as well as this article, Gay attempts to inform and persuade her readers that the way society looks and acts towards women is unacceptable and it is up to us to put a stop to it. While she wants everyone to break the norm, this story is mostly focused towards women, and how it is our duty to stand up and put an end to this ill treatment. 

Gay puts her knowledge into words and begins her argument with a personal experience. She tells the story of a once- popular classmate who made an offensive joke about the challenger exploding; a joke that was too soon, too far, and too tragic. By starting this way before even stating her thesis, the author puts an uncomfortable and vivid image in the readers mind before they know what they are going to be reading. Her story automatically creates a distasteful and unpleasant atmosphere for the rest of the writing. The rest of her work is then example after example as to why what Tosh is saying is not okay and, for many reasons, should not be tolerated. It is not until she gets to the end of her paper that her organization strategy is most apparent again. She finishes her work with a thought provoking statement that is not just a reiteration of her entire paper, but a comment that lingers in the readers mind long after they finish reading. She says, “What surprises me, what troubles me, is that only one person stood up and had the strength of conviction to say, ‘Enough.’” (89). Her whole paper is about how women are constantly being disrespected for the entertainment of others, and while reading it is easy think how disgusting and unacceptable this is. Yet in her final statement she leaves the reader wondering that if this behavior is known and not okay, why are we, as women, doing nothing to stop it.

While the way she opened and finished her work is important for the progression of her point, the most vital information are the appeals that lay within them. The most effective device Gay relies on in her work is pathos. Her entire article is based around convincing the readers that the rape culture created in our world deeply affects so many women in an immense way. She even gave some insight into her own life when she says that one reason she does not find rape jokes funny is because “it’s too close a topic” (88). She reveals to the reader personal information to show that it is a real issue and it must be taken seriously. She then goes on to talk about rape itself, aside from the jokes, and uses words such as “humiliating, degrading, physically and emotionally exhausting, and irritating” to describe the act (88). It can be hard for someone to read real emotions like that and then think that another human being could possibly be able to make jokes about it. The writing is filled with many more ways in which Daniel Tosh’s carelessness and ignorance are shown, and his lack of empathy towards anyone who finds his jokes offensive. Along with inciting heartfelt reactions to the so- called “jokes”, she also uses logos. She talks about the “appalling statistics” of rape, the need for there to be websites for women to report street harassment, that a Sexual Assault Awareness Month even needs to exist, and the idea that the term “rape culture” is an accurate way to describe our society (89). She makes it her goal to drill into the reader’s mind that sexual assault and rape are in no way funny and are much too present in our world. 

Through Daniel Tosh and Rape Jokes: Still Not Funny, Roxane Gay uses her writing skill and credibility to reach out to women and express to them that it is not okay for people to joke about disrespecting our bodies, and it is our duty to stop them. Gay uses her individualized style, her words, and facts to get her point across to those reading her story. It is not just enough to know what they are doing is wrong, but one must stand up and go against the cruel words, because as Roxane Gay says, “Qui tacet consentire” (89).
