The rape culture of the 1980s was alive and well in Sixteen Candles, providing context for the Brett Kavanaugh accusations.
Sixteen Candles is a high school love story, celebrated for 34 years for being sweet and romantic. Yet it features a supposedly hilarious subplot in which a drunk and unconscious girl is passed from one boy to another and then raped.
Caroline (Haviland Morris), was the impossibly beautiful senior girlfriend to the handsome, perfect romantic hero, senior Jake Ryan.
Yet as soon as Jake hears that gawky, awkward Samantha (Molly Ringwald) has a crush on him, he immediately falls for her, defying all laws of high school popularity.
Jake then cold-bloodedly hands his drunk and unconscious girlfriend, Caroline, over to another guy and says, “Have fun.”
In 1984, you could be a perfect dream boy and also be an accessory to date rape.
1
Enjoy being online again!
Welcome to the community of good people who base their values on evidence and appreciate civil discourse - the social network you will enjoy.Create your free account
1 comment
Feel free to reply to any comment by clicking the "Reply" button.So you're asserting Ted raped Caroline in the movie? I get you're point about her being passed around, but going back to the scenes, I wouldn't call Ted a rapist. Jake might be a POS, but he is the privledged golden boy. Ted is the geeky nerd that I, and probably the majority of people identify with. Ted is by no means a pillar of moral virtues, but I think his character shows respect and concern for women and his friends. Jakes do exist in society, I don't deny that. I'm just saying most of us are Teds, worried about our female friends being hurt.
jondspen
Level 7
Oct 3, 2018
0
So you're OK with Jake loading his drunk, semi-conscious girlfriend into another man's car, telling her that the new man is him, then the later photo of the geek taking photos of her unconscious body with other men. So you're OK with date rape, apparently. And Jake is a hero despite his Kavanaugh behavior. No wonder people think Brett is innocent.
@birdingnut ok...like I originally said "Jake might be a POS", and that might isn't a question in context...so please don't straw man that I said I was OK with that.
"geek taking photos of her unconscious body with other men" - ok, but she was clothed, they didn't strip her off and gang rape her in the scene. And then another straw man that pointing this out means "So you're OK with date rape, apparently."....when in this scene no rape actually occurred.
"And Jake is a hero despite his Kavanaugh behavior. No wonder people think Brett is innocent." which is a complete redirect from my original question.
Let's rephrase "So you're asserting Ted raped Caroline in the movie?" ----- you are judge jury and executioner for Farmer Ted (a 14 year old freshman geek who is getting to hang with the cool crowd) and Jake (the HS hero that all the girls adored, at least the sterotype of my HS and also what I saw in my daughters HS). What do you convict them off?
You also get to be congress, supreme court, and president and enforce laws to protect Caroline (who was the prom queen and most popular girl in school, adored by both the female and male student, staff, and faculty)? So if you don't get to convict Ted or Jake b/c of current laws...what would you enact to punish them as well as protect her from being the rape victim?
Just asking two simple questions...and not trying to straw man or attack you personally. Yea, I am getting to my agenda, that rape didn't actually occur, but you're twisting it to suit your agenda. I'm not opposed to the basic premise, I just don't agree to the extent you have taken it. I also would like to point out if you want to call Jack a proof of rape culture, it would be just as logical to call Caroline of bad sterotypes of women (sexual promescuity, vapid and shallow, irresponsible, mean).
So what laws need to be enacted and enforced IYO?
Enjoy being online again!
Welcome to the community of good people who base their values on evidence and appreciate civil discourse - the social network you will enjoy.Create your free account
Share this post
Related Groups More
World Music
1331 members
Categories
Agnostic does not evaluate or guarantee the accuracy of any content. Read full disclaimer.