[EvanPlaice]

Comedians dance a fine line. The best can waltz back and fourth across the line with practiced precision.

Rape is about power. Power conceded by the victims and forcefully taken by the attackers.

A rape joke could make fun of how, useless, sad, an worthless a person would have to be to force themself on others.

How the act itself is nothing but a pathetic act of desperation.

Use perspective, artful storytelling, crafty dialog/writing to take the power from the attackers. Face the fear behind their actions and reduce it to reality; that rape is a sad, terrible, pathetic thing to do to somebody.

Take away the power from fear and gove it back to the victims in the form of empathy and support.

The 'sacred cows' as you say aren't just topics with shock value. They're topics that people are afraid of. Whether because they're taboo, morrally wrong, or legitimately terrifying.

Some may say that the victims suffer more due to living dealing with the shame and lying to loved ones to keep their past a secret.

In the right hands a truly talented comedian could make a great rape joke that is actually empowering to rape victims. One that makes the topic less taboo and helps victims feel less shame in a past that they had no power to shape.

Tasteless humor is noyhing but an ad-hominem dressed up with a fancy delivery. Good comedians don't attack people, they shine light on the ridiculousness of life and in doing so bring people together.