Joke in Bad Taste
July 30, 2012 8:29 AM Subscribe
Do you recall a TV show or movie where the characters used the word "rape" as a mnemonic device?
Recently, my friend mentioned that she remembered watching a movie or sitcom in which the main characters decide they would handle a situation by "raping" someone or some group, where "rape" is an acronym for what they intended to do. She thought it was funny, particularly because what they intended to do could not have been further from rape. She could not remember any of the context, however. I have been very curious to know what a (potentially) funny acronym for rape could be, but I googled with no success.
Does anyone else remember this?
Recently, my friend mentioned that she remembered watching a movie or sitcom in which the main characters decide they would handle a situation by "raping" someone or some group, where "rape" is an acronym for what they intended to do. She thought it was funny, particularly because what they intended to do could not have been further from rape. She could not remember any of the context, however. I have been very curious to know what a (potentially) funny acronym for rape could be, but I googled with no success.
Does anyone else remember this?
Is it possibly from The IT Crowd? It reminds me of something Denholm (the CEO) would say. I'm not able to google further from work.
posted by Rock Steady at 8:53 AM on July 30, 2012
posted by Rock Steady at 8:53 AM on July 30, 2012
There's a real-life mnemonic device I've heard used for the order of the color codes for electrical fuses. The colors are black, brown, red, orange, yellow, green, blue, violet, gray, and white, and the mnemonic is -- believe it or not -- "Bad Boys Rape Our Young Girls But Violet Gives Willingly." In fact, it's my understanding that the original form of the phrase was, in order to easily tell the difference between the two consecutive Bs at the beginning, the same only with the word "Black" instead of "Bad."
Some people still actually use these as mnemonics, arguing that yes, they're offensive (you think?) but their offensiveness makes them that much more memorable. Which is true, but is still not a good enough excuse IMNSHO.
I'm guessing that's not what you're looking for, though. It occurs to me that's just the sort of thing Michael Scott on "The Office" might've come up with, but I don't recall any episodes where that happened.
posted by cerebus19 at 9:33 AM on July 30, 2012 [2 favorites]
Some people still actually use these as mnemonics, arguing that yes, they're offensive (you think?) but their offensiveness makes them that much more memorable. Which is true, but is still not a good enough excuse IMNSHO.
I'm guessing that's not what you're looking for, though. It occurs to me that's just the sort of thing Michael Scott on "The Office" might've come up with, but I don't recall any episodes where that happened.
posted by cerebus19 at 9:33 AM on July 30, 2012 [2 favorites]
It kind of reminds me of an episode of Fresh Meat where Jack Whitehall's pretentious preppie character and his friends start using the slang "That's so rape" to refer to things they think are cool. Eventually they get called on it.
posted by Gortuk at 10:25 AM on July 30, 2012
posted by Gortuk at 10:25 AM on July 30, 2012
An older version of the color code mnemonic had "Behind Victory Garden Walls" at the end.
posted by rfs at 1:47 PM on July 30, 2012
posted by rfs at 1:47 PM on July 30, 2012
IIRC: On the DVD of season 1 of the US version of The Office, the "Sexual Harassment" episode, there's a deleted scene where Michael comes up with a list of things that the staff should remember if they want to avoid being a sexual harasser, and - as Pam points out - the list spells I.N.C.E.S.T.
I think Michael responds, "that's right, because we're like one happy family."
I don't have the DVD handy and I'm afraid to google it, but its one of the funniest things I've ever ever seen.
(Also, I really hope this this scene actually exists and is not some strange repressed memory of being sexually abused in Scranton making its way into my consciousness...)
posted by RandlePatrickMcMurphy at 9:46 AM on July 31, 2012
I think Michael responds, "that's right, because we're like one happy family."
I don't have the DVD handy and I'm afraid to google it, but its one of the funniest things I've ever ever seen.
(Also, I really hope this this scene actually exists and is not some strange repressed memory of being sexually abused in Scranton making its way into my consciousness...)
posted by RandlePatrickMcMurphy at 9:46 AM on July 31, 2012
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posted by samthemander at 8:44 AM on July 30, 2012