Law & Order SVU is one of the most popular shows in America. I guess the American public has spoken and they really like rape. Dateline NBC also ran a recurring special called "To Catch a Predator" featuring real sex offenders on the Internet getting caught in a sting where, instead of meeting the 11-year old girl of their dreams, they meet Chris Hansen (who is attractive and charming in his own way) and a team of armed law enforcers.
We are fascinated by these deranged rapists, child molesters and their ilk. Why? Why do I not tune in to other Dateline exposes with the same vigor that I do with the Predator one? Why is Law & Order Criminal Intent just not as good as SVU? I guess we want to see rape and lots of rape. My girlfriend and I even enjoy watching while we have dinner and we're not particularly perverted people.
The thing about rape is: You can't really joke about it.* All other crimes are joked about. People will tell you they will kill you in jest constantly. "I'll kill you if you wear that sweater again." "I'm gonna kill A-Rod if he strikes out again." But no one talks about rape in the same manner.
Imagine if people went around saying things like, "My dad is gonna sodomize me if I don't get at least a B on this geometry test." "I was ready to rape that man after he said that to me." "Be careful kids, you're gonna get molested if you play in the street." The world would be a pretty interesting yet disturbing place.
Movies and television programs about murder and violence have been around forever. But rape on prime time network television? This has to have started recently.
Law & Order SVU is a great show but Christopher Meloni's character is humorless and Mariska Hargitay (or whatever her last name is) plays a very insipid and somewhat cold detective. Richard Belzer is bitter and sarcastic in a Charles Dickens character way and Ice(d?) T is speaks a little too harshly for my taste. So we are obviously not watching the show for its compelling and likable characters. This is not exactly the cast of Friends we're dealing with here.
In fact, you can watch reruns of the rape show about nine times a day on USA, not including the new episodes on NBC. I'm not sure if that's a good thing for America. And it might be giving would-be perverts ideas.
*Unless you are Sacha Baron Cohen
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