http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NlSuj6YIG94
This is a video clip from the movie American Pie, a well known movie that depicts a lot of teenagers partying and having sex. It is of the character Jim returning home. As he walks into his room he sees a picture of a girl that he once liked, and then his father walks into the room and refers to her as "the one that got away". Then he goes in to talk to Jim about how he knew about his unpleasant incident involving her on the Internet. His dad then basically gives him a pep talk about sex and encourages him not to give up on it.
Does it seem odd that a fatherly figure in a movie would encourage sex? Would this seem to be and accurate portrayal of the relationship between a father and a son? And do you think that a teenager watching this clip would believe that it is okay for them to have sex just because this Jim's father encourages it?
It does not seem odd that a fatherly figure is encouraging sex since he is talking to his son, Jim. But on the other hand, if it was his daughter he was talking to then it would seem odd because normally a father would not encourage his daughter to have sex. The reason it is not odd for Jim's father to encourage Jim, but odd if it’s was his daughter, to have sexual intercourse is because some fathers think it would make his son into “man”, meanwhile, they would be upset that his daughter was having sexual intercourse because they can get pregnant and end up having so much responsibility of taking care of a child when they are just a child themselves, as if the guy wouldn’t have any responsibility. Then again, I feel that if a father is going to encourage his son to have sex then he needs to sit down and have a talk with him explaining to his son all the different types of diseases he can possible get and there’s a chance he could get a girl pregnant. Yet, this scene does show an exaggeration accurate portrayal of the relationship between a father and a son. However, the scene is not accurate for every father and son relationship because not every father encourages his son to have sex. Some fathers might believe that their child should be married before engaging in sexual intercourse. Also I do not think the clip would encourage teenagers to have sex just because Jim’s father encourages it in the movie. Teenagers will have sex whether they are encouraged to or not.
ReplyDeleteShatia is making the claim that fathers are more likely to encourage their son to have sex rather than their daughters. She backs up the claim by giving possible examples of why he is encouraging him to do so. She also asserts that if a father is going to encourage he son to have sex he should inform him on the risks. The post doesn't reference the clip very much but I think she does a good job supporting her claim.
DeleteIs it then safe to say that there's a double standard when it comes to guys, girls, and sex? If a son having sex makes him a man then why doesn't a daughter having sex make her a woman? I think these are valuable issues to think about and pregnancy isn't the best argument; a son is just as likely to get a girl pregnant as a daughter is to get pregnant herself.
DeleteI think the conversation between Jim and his dad is a little odd; however, as Shatia mentions, it would definitely be a lot weirder if Jim were his daughter instead. Fathers are normally more open about sexuality with their sons because they went through the same things, physically, at their age. They tend to be overprotective of daughters, generally speaking.
ReplyDeleteBecause of the nature of American Pie movies, I don't believe this interaction was intended to be a realistic portrayal of a father-son "sex talk." The creators purposefully emphasize the awkwardness to make the interaction humorous to viewers. I think the creators are taking advantage of a popular comedic strategy by making the situation as embarrassing and awkward as possible for Jim. Viewers tend to enjoy being on the outside of awkward situations, and being able to laugh at them because they are not actually involved in the situation. I'm not trying to say that a talk similar to this could never take place, because each father-son relationship is very different from the next, but this case seems a little extreme. Jim's dad awkwardly brings up a story of he and his wife (Jim's Mom) and encourages him to keep "plugging away" before even welcoming him home, which I found to be pretty funny.
Again, because American Pie movies are comedies, I do not think that any teens are learning life lessons from them. I, for one, would never take fatherly advice from a character in a comedic movie, but I do believe the movie really enforces the theme of sex as a "cool" thing to do, and Jim's sexual struggles make him an awkwardly funny character.
Jason does an excellent job in staking his claim at the very first sentence as well as ties each of his paragraphs together with the same plot that American pie is a comedy and necessarily to be taken seriously. There was excellent evidence from the movie that Jason also brings about, such as from Jim and his Mom, then analyzing the situation. Following such claims, he also ties into what he believes is the subjective way of American Pie. Jason also begins very generalizing and ends generalizing as well, slightly using the cone method. In many ways Jason certainly prolonged and added to the conversation involving American Pie.
DeleteThroughout the entire American Pie series, Jim's dad seems to try to be Jim's friend instead of father, this clip shows that too. I feel that Jim's father is trying to regress back to adolescence, just hanging out with a friend talking about their conquests, or lack there of. Jim's dad sees no boundaries with their relationship and therefore feels comfortable talking about the parents' sexual stories. Most shows that portray a parent trying to be friends with their children normally show an acceptance for anything and everything their children do. A good example would be Regina George's mother in "Mean Girls" and how she offered her daughter condoms when she found her daughter in bed with a guy.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Shatia and Jason that dads can talk easier to a son then a daughter because they can relate better. I do not think Jim's father encourages anyone to have sex because of how awkward the scene is and he makes his first time sound humiliating. Sadly, in today's world I have heard sixth graders talking about sex, and most sixth graders are about 12years old and would not be old enough to watch a PG-13 movie without a parent. Sex is becoming a more well known topic for younger ages.
Lauren does a good job of describing her opinion of Jim's dad. She also brings in eveidence about similar parents in other movies to support her claims. She also doe a great job of giving personal evidence of her own experiences of hearing 6th graders talk about sex for more support of her claim.
DeleteWhile it may be that the scene is a strategy used by the creators as a means of creating a comedic situation for entertainment, it could also hold an important message as well. I feel like young adult males in sex-related situations are portrayed in certain ways in comedies; while there can be the "stud" character that does everything right and gets all the ladies, so to speak, there seems to be a reoccurring portrayal of the awkward but charming guy who can never seem to get it right the first time. I feel like this scene depicts a father who was once the young man Jim is now; he says that the kind of stuff that happened to Jim "happens to the best of us" and alludes to a sexual situation in his own past that was awkward. The father seems to be there to reassure him that sex is a part of growing up that may be hard to figure out initially.
ReplyDeleteI do agree that the scene would have been completely different if the main character was female and was the dad's daughter, because there definitely is a different dynamic between fathers and daughters than there is with sons. However I don't really think that Jim's father is advocating sex for the sake of sex; in bringing up sex with his wife it seems like he is implying that love is involved. Also I really don't think teens will start having promiscuous sex based on the actions of a fictional father in a comedy. While this may be an accurate portrayal of some fathers and sons who are more open about touchy subjects like sex, I don't think that these sort of interactions are the majority, which seems to bring in the comedic aspect.
Tamara has brought many new ideas to the conversation and I liked her idea that Jim's father is not promoting sex as recreation, but just giving him support in an area that is not often talked about. She made a good mention of how love can be tied into the message when it is not explicitly stated in the movie clip. Overall, Tamara has developed her ideas well and supported them with evidence from the youtube video.
DeleteYes I believe that it is odd that a father would be encouraging their son to have sex. Usually you see parents caution their children about sex. These parents usually encourage children to wait to have sex. This is why I think it is odd to see a father encouraging sex. This does not really seem to be an accurate portrayal of a father son relationship. In my opinion a father son relationship usually stay away from this subject as much as possible. At times it may come up, but not in every little conversation like this movie clip portrays it. Yes I believe that a teenager watching this clip would think that it is okay for a teenager to have sex since Jim’s father is encouraging it to make sex seem like a good thing. However, this clip is from a movie and is not really meant for a teenager’s sex education of how to approach the topic of sex. It is just a movie clip trying to catch people’s attention with a comedy aspect. Overall, this movie clip tries to use the aspect of sex to catch people’s attention through the uncharacteristic relationship between Jim and his father.
ReplyDeleteI agree with some of the previous statements that there is a double-standard when it comes to how sex is viewed for sons and daughters. This conversation seems like it would be awkward regardless if the adult child was a son or daughter. The comments seem to approve the way that the father acts towards to son. The father may be trying to live vicariously through his son and in this way, is proud of his son's sexual feats and is why he may be encouraging his son's actions. The son may also be proud of his action because despite being embarrassed, he has left the picture of the girl up in his room.
ReplyDeleteTo me, this fatherly behavior does strike me as being odd and is not how many fatherly figures I know behave. While this may be accurate of how some father-son relationships are, I do think it is atypical and the majority of relationships are not how this one is portrayed. I don't think this clip will convince any teenagers to go out in have sex just because a fictional character's fictional dad says its okay. In the end, this movie is a comedy and not every part should be taken seriously.
It is not odd that a fatherly figure would encourage sex. The father was at that age himself and he knows what teenagers at that age do. So, instead of discouraging something that happens regularly between teenagers, the father simply encourages it. I think it is very smart for a father to encourage things like that. For example, a father has been through high school and college and knows everything that would or could happen during it while his son is in high school in college. The father knows his son will be drinking and other things. So, I think for a father to stick to a strict rule by saying to his son he cannot drink is a little hypocritical. In my own experience, my father disallowed me from drinking in high school, when I feel like he did the same thing. By him refusing to let me drink, however, I used to find myself taking upon chances to drink without him knowing when those chances arrived. I believe that if my father allowed me to drink, then I would have drank less. The reason behind this idea is that if I am allowed to do something whenever i want, why would I take every chance I get? I would simply just choose NOT to drink whenever I felt like I didn't want to because I know I could drink any other time I wanted to. So, it would not be necessary for me to take the chance to drink that time. Also, I would not have to lie to my father and my father and I's relationship would be better.
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