Dear Sofia Vergara, Rape Is No Laughing Matter

Yikes. When did making a joke about your son being a product of rape at age 13 become acceptable commentary for daytime television?

Actually, I'm pretty sure it's still not acceptable. But apparently Modern Family's Sofia Vergara, who made this exact joke on The View recently, thinks it is:

You can tell how shocked the hosts and audience of The View were after this statement. Clearly, rape is no laughing matter. It makes me wonder how Vergara ever thought that this comment would be not only funny, but something you should say on national television.

The bigger question comes down to this: Is this what Hollywood stars do these days -- make fun of rape victims? After the whole Roman Polanksi debacle, I suspect that many famous people live in a bubble where they don't realize the impact of rape on society.

Just in case any of these celebrities stumble over to Change.org, I have a few statistics I want to share from RAINN, the nation's largest anti-sexual assault organization:

• Approximately 2/3 of rapes are committed by someone known to the victim
• 1 out of every 6 American women has been the victim of an attempted or completed rape in her lifetime (14.8% completed rape; 2.8% attempted rape).
• 17.7 million American women have been victims of attempted or completed rape.
• 9 of every 10 rape victims were female in 2003.
• While about 80% of all victims are white, minorities are somewhat more likely to be attacked.

Rape and date rape are serious matters. No one should make rape a joke or try to get laughs at the expense of rape victims.  Vergara should apologize publicly about her joke, and Modern Family should feature a rape narrative on the show to raise awareness.