Making jokes about certain subjects doesn't disarm or render them harmless, it just trivializes and renders someone's struggle as a joke. I know on the internet that is sort of silly to say but for example as a person who has been sexually assaulted when I see people make jokes about rape, I don't laugh. I currently can hold back getting really angry about it, but a few months ago, shortly after being raped, I couldn't hold myself in, and every time someone made a joke about getting a girl drunk or 'surprise sex', I had to relive that moment.
I think about being raped, or a people I know who have recently been through sexual abuse because honestly I can't hear the word rape without thinking about it, and honestly, that is a fact of life that I have to deal with, especially given that I talk about consent and rape all the time. But when someone makes a joke about it, no they're not saying that rape is okay, but they're supporting rape culture, and potentially saying something that's really triggering for someone.
When you make a joke about rape you have no idea if a person has been through a sexual assault, who is around, whether they've come to terms with it, how by making a joke you're potentially further making them attempt to trivialize their emotions because it's easier. It can be extremely triggering to think about those sorts of topics if you've recently experienced them, but since it's a 'joke' you're not allowed to be hurt. So you swallow it. Making a joke out of rape takes away the seriousness and when we live in a society where rape is only serious if it's violent, male on female, she wasn't drunk, she wasn't wearing any 'slutty' clothing, and it was a stranger, I don't think that's okay. I don't think it's fair of anyone to attempt to disarm a topic, because it shouldn't be disarmed. It shouldn't be rendered harmless, because it's not.
It should be scary, it should be serious. It is not anyone's place to devalue the fear and pain that people go through, just for the sake of a cheap laugh. Find something else to make a joke about.