Something insidious is coming out of the Diddy trial: Laughter

USA Today

2 days ago

Something insidious is coming out of the Diddy trial: Laughter | Opinion We must resist the urge to make everything into a joke. We must take some things seriously – and domestic violence should be one of those things.
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Security guard says Sean Combs offered cash for hotel video
Eddy Garcia testified Sean Combs paid $100K for hotel footage showing him kick, hit and drag Cassie Ventura Fine, according to court testimony.
There's something I've been noticing when I scroll through Instagram. Any time I see an advertisement, any advertisement, really, there always seems to be a peculiar comment underneath the video.
'Nice try, Diddy.'
The spam comment, which refers to rapper Sean 'Diddy' Combs, has been around for almost a year now. According to Know Your Meme, a Wikipedia-esque website dedicated to the inside jokes of the internet, it's unclear what the spam comment means. What is clear is that it is as commonplace as these advertisements themselves. What's also clear is that people are joking about something that isn't really that funny.
'Nice try Diddy' is not the only joke that's come out of the bombshell sex crimes trial against Combs, in which the rapper and mogul has been charged with racketeering, sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution. For the past year, people have latched onto the salacious details of the case – from 'Diddy parties' and 'freak offs' to baby oil to the sketches from the courtroom – to joke about on the Internet and with their friends.
The only problem? We seem to always be laughing about the wrong things.
SNL, memes mock Diddy trial. But it can retraumatize survivors of abuse.
There are more than 70 lawsuits against Combs, with at least 81 people accusing the rapper of sexual assault. What we've heard has been harrowing.
Casandra 'Cassie' Ventura Fine, who dated Combs on and off from 2007 to 2018, testified in the first days of the trial about the physical and emotional abuse that she suffered. There is a video of him physically assaulting her at the InterContinental Hotel, a video that a hotel security guard alleges he was paid $100,000 to destroy. There's footage of Combs throwing a vase at her head. There are photos of bruises and cuts that Ventura Fine allegedly suffered after altercations with Combs. A friend of Ventura Fine's testified that he threw a knife in the singer's direction.
That's not the only testimony that stands out.
In May, rapper Kid Cudi testified that his car was set on fire by an 'incendiary device,' alleging that Combs was the perpetrator. Bryana 'Bana' Bongolan testified on June 4 that Combs dangled her over a 17-story balcony and threatened to kill her.
I encourage anyone joking about this case to read the victims' statements – they are no laughing matter.
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That hasn't stopped comedians, whether they be on Instagram or on "Saturday Night Live," from lampooning the trial as it unfolds. It hasn't stopped the memes, like "The Diddler" and baby oil.
There were also jokes about Amber Heard during her trial with Johnny Depp, jokes that experts claimed exacerbated the trauma survivors suffer from.
In the same way, levity about the alleged abuse and coercion that Combs' victims experienced could hurt people who have also experienced these things.
When will we stop laughing at abuse victims?
I understand the urge to make a joke out of serious matters. Humor helps us cope with the horrific realities of life.
It's akin to the way people joke about President Donald Trump's administration: The details are so egregious, they feel like parody.
But for victims of sexual violence, this trial is anything but funny. It isn't just a meme or a spicy headline; it's the terrifying reality of abuse.
It's the reality of a world where women are not believed, and where the justice system fails to intervene until the damage is already done.
Opinion: I work with sex trafficking victims. Here's how Diddy's trial could help them.
Despite the mountain of evidence against Combs, there are still people who believe he is innocent, or at least shouldn't be the only one on trial.
On 'Piers Morgan Uncensored' in late May, rapper Ray J told the host that there were never any 'freak offs.'
About the same time, Death Row Records cofounder Suge Knight told journalist Chris Cuomo that he believed his longtime musical rival should walk free, saying that other executives were involved in the events.
Everyone is innocent until proven guilty, including Combs. Still, it makes me uneasy that there are people who would be so quick to defend him. To me, the flippancy with which people are treating the case is just as dangerous as the jokes made about it.
We must resist the urge to make everything into a joke. We must take some things seriously – domestic violence should be one of those things. We can't let our urge to laugh at discomfort win over our desire for justice. Something has to matter.
Follow USA TODAY columnist Sara Pequeño on X, formerly Twitter: @sara__pequeno