“Nature may have created a physical imbalance, but society’s job is to not allow those with advantages to exploit others,” writes the NBA legend and THR contributor as he connects the messages he received about women onscreen and in the gym to today’s sexual harassment crisis.
Comedian Larry Miller once said, “If women knew what men were really thinking, they’d never stop slapping us.” The news has been filled with enough examples of this to fill the next three seasons of Law & Order: SVU. Those institutions that most influence our kids — particularly Hollywood and sports — have perpetuated a childlike image of women as physically and emotionally weak and therefore in need of protection from men. So, while the guys who are guilty of assaulting women with their words and actions are responsible for their deeds, if we want to stop this kind of behavior, we have to hold accountable those who create the social environment that allows harassment to flourish.
When I was a kid, I didn’t realize that one of my favorite Westerns, McLintock! (1963), was a training film for sexual harassment and spousal abuse. I did know that John Wayne was the two-fisted, six-shooter epitome of manliness who was estranged from his tough-talking, tough-acting wife (Maureen O’Hara). I remember admiring how she took no guff from anyone. But then came the ending: Wayne, fed up with her mouthy independence, drags her through the town, while she’s in her underwear, and spanks her over his knee while the entire town cheers. Of course, the couple reconcile, emphasizing the message that true love may be expressed through physical violence. This spanking scene is even featured on the film’s poster.
In Donovan’s Reef, Wayne spanks Elizabeth Allen in the town square, proclaiming, “From now on, I wear the pants.” She struggles, then he kisses her and she melts. I don’t know how many films from my era portrayed women saying no, only to have the man force a kiss and the woman relent — but there were plenty. The not-so-subliminal message: Men weren’t just encouraged to control women’s bodies, but we were obligated to because women don’t know their own minds.
Read full article at hollywoodreporter.com