ABSTRACT
In 1990 when comedian George Carlin used this Looney Tunes example to defend the idea that anything, including rape, can be funny, there was no recorded public outrage about his claims. A little over 20 years later, media and Internet critics immediately censured comedian Daniel Tosh for making what Tosh claims was a similar observation.1 Carlin’s point is that, given the circumstances, a joke – even one about rape – can make a contribution to public discourse. Tosh has since argued he was making a similar point, but I contend otherwise. I argue Tosh has used his comic persona and a deceptive form of irony, one that I call pseudosatire, to make it appear as if the outrage attacks the same idea as Carlin’s when, in fact, Tosh’s comedy accomplishes something much different and potentially dangerous.
