Hi. I just got through watching this movie with my uncle. I watched "300" in theatres the other day, and I think this movie offended me more. I feel like in todays day we have like really violent movies nad such but they are clearly movies. However, this movie kinda pigeonholes women as secretaries and like the "brotherhood" of business. I guess a lot of older movies are like this. I'm just wondering, anyone else find this sexist?
shareOf course it's sexist.
It's also racist.
The movie depicts White Males in control of everything - but that's because business back then was pretty much sexist and racist (there's not one dark face among them). It wasn't until later after Civil Rights and Women's Lib that things changed.
My father used to explain how he and his male co-workers chose their secretaries: "'We tell each one - put your hands behind your head, honey, and walk toward the wall.' Then, if her elbows touch the wall first, we DON'T hire her.'"
"Don't call me 'honey', mac."
"Don't call me 'mac'... HONEY!"
Rather than "Sexist?" as the title of the thread perhaps "Sexist!!!" would be more like it.
Yes. very sexist. Like almost every film from the 60s and earlier.
I sure am glad that women have come along way since then, but that doesn't mean I can't still enjoy the old movies, thank goodness. - or that appalling joke about the elbows touching the wall - I heard that for the first time only a few months ago being told by a bunch of forty something males! - well, maybe some things never change!
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I think a lot of what we today call sexism was just poor conduct, minus the sexual-politcal connotation. If you whistle at a woman while staring at her backside, or ogle her chest, to me, anyway, that's just having poor comport and conduct, and really doesn't conjure a sexual harassment law suit; i.e. you're an idiot and jerk if you do, deserve a reprimand of some kind, possibly dismissal, but not a lawsuit. In our day and age anything in terms of conduct is up for litigation, and that's an unfortunate necessity because there are more people who lack character in key power positions, and therefore legislation is required to govern behavior with the threat of legal action.
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It's such a fun movie if you don't think about it too hard - plenty of good laughs, some great songs, a bit of pointed satire, and an absolutely terrific performance by Robert Morse!
But yeah, it's set in such a dreadful culture that it's also kind of creepy.
It presents a corporate world ruled by the white male straight old-boy network, where the only women welcome are those who are willing to play the sort of games the old boys like*, and people of color aren't welcome at all. The only way in and up is to pass as one of the old boy network, according to the script, under all the cheerful colors and toe-tapping songs is some truly monumental cynicism.
* Including marriage.
Excellent satire. To.get along go.along. I rather like the thought of a world of martinis and miniskirts without people getting uptight all the time over harmless jokes and remarks.
shareYou're a straight white man, right? Because yes, in those days and in the world of the film, a straight white man could get away with being monumentally offensive to the people who weren't! Life must be a blast, if you can get away with never thinking about other people's feelings, or rights!
Although of course, if he wasn't born into the Old Boys' Network, he could find himself stuck washing windows or running the mailroom for life. And do you think the old fella who ran the mailroom got to dump on people, or joked around with the well-born Old Boys Network men who were his bosses, or do you think he had to grit his teeth and act like he didn't mind, when the Old Boys made thoughtless jokes at his expense?
We all have to learn to put up with jokes about our peculiarities. I have no time for women who object to compliments. Yes I am a straight white man - and a lifelong failure!
shareWe are all capable of learning to stop making jokes about other people's peculiarities!
That is the polite, reasonable, friendly, and professional thing to do, so stop fucking doing it before you lose your latest dead-end job and have to take an even worse one.
Stop defending assholery, dude, especially in the workplace. It hasn't done you any good, has it.