When we read
Jerry Seinfeld's pre-
Bee Movie screening comments about the insects' "perfect society" ("Other insects are just kind of crawling around. They don't have the sophistication of the bee. They have no crime, they have no drugs, they have no rape. A little rape, but it's not that bad.")
in today's Rush & Molloy column this morning, we paused, wondered if the joke might result in the kind of controversy that reliably follows any spontaneous attempt at rape-related humor, then decided that the words would probably pass unprotested, for bee-rape advocacy groups are notoriously disorganized. Unfortunately for Seinfeld, other organizations are more vigiliant.
Radar collects a smattering
of speedy admonishments:Karen Baker, director of the National Sexual Violence Resource Center, says she has trouble understanding why Seinfeld would make such a joke, particularly in the context of a film for children. "It surprised me, frankly, because I've always been a Jerry Seinfeld fan," she says. "With what I hear about every single day, I don't find anything at all funny about rape, and I don't like it being made light of. I understand he's a comedian and he's inclined to find humor in everything, but it was offensive."
Margaret Mikkelsen, the executive director of Students Active For Ending Rape, had a similar reaction. "I've always been a fan of Jerry Seinfeld, but I'm not a fan of rape jokes, whoever's telling them," she says. "Working in the anti-violence field, we get accused of not having a sense of humor. But just because you're a comedian doesn't mean that everything that comes out of your mouth is funny."
Given that this is a family-friendly film,
DreamWorks will probably pressure Seinfeld to apologize for the remarks; expect the prompt release of a carefully crafted public statement in which the comedian will explain that while he did
briefly spend some time in a giant bee suit at Cannes, he should never have been so presumptuous as to comment on the psychological impact of such a serious crime on the bee community.
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