Photo: Courtesy of FARK

If you’d forgotten that Fark.com is a thing, here’s a reason to remember: The site just became one of the first original link aggregators to ban misogyny from its community.

According to a message posted by Fark’s founder, Drew Curtis, the site’s moderators will now be responsible for making sure misogyny doesn’t make its way into headlines or comments. This includes:

- Rape jokes

- Calling women as a group “whores” or “sluts” or similar demeaning terminology

- Jokes suggesting that a woman who suffered a crime was somehow asking for it



Ya know, just in case anyone needed reminding that these things are bad.

It’s a testament to the sad state of the internet that “don’t be a misogynyst” can’t go without saying. But it’s also a refreshing departure from the misguided free speech arguments that sites like Reddit bend over backwards making to defend the handful of misogynist communities that are among its ranks — not to mention the free-floating slut-shaming that snakes its way into regular comment threads.

Unsurprisingly, users of other link-sharing sites are dubious — this has to be a PR scheme, a ploy for more ad revenue, another example of our descent into excessive political correctness! On Slashdot, one user is more concerned about misandry: “If they’re going to tackle sexism they need to make sure they tackle all sexism, so no dick, cock, or misandric jokes either.” I, for one, have a much better idea: Let’s just ban all men.

It’s hard to imagine Fark’s community will suffer from the banning of easy rape jokes — if anything, it will make the community a safer space for women and might even elevate the quality of humor. And don’t worry, if you’re desperate to discuss how women who dress slutty deserve to be raped, there’s always r/mensrights.