Violence Against Men in Popular Culture

[erictheblue]

I wasn't sure where to put this. I debated the Entertainment forums, but decided that forums is a little too light-hearted for this.

As I have mentioned before, I am taking a class on Domestic Violence this semester. For this class, I have to write a 20-page paper. I decided to write about men as victims of DV. One topic that has come up in my research that I would like to include is how movies and TV shows will have women slapping/hitting/verbally berating men and how it is often seen as funny (or at least, not serious). I would like to include examples of this in my paper. However, I don't watch movies and about the only TV I watch is Cartoon Network, Bones, Criminal Minds, and Mythbusters.

So I turn to the wonderful people on this forum for help. Any examples would be of great help.

[Id82]

I don't really know if it counts but in one bad ending of the silent hill shattered memories video game it involves the main character being abused by his wife and his daughter filming it. Although this kind of has a serious tone to it, so I don't know if it's what you're looking for but it's all I can think of at the moment: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=akYdjHkleek&feature=related. Starts at about 28 seconds.

[Yla]

Anime.

[starseeker]

Anime.

Love Hina?

[erictheblue]

Anime.

Any specific examples?

[Lithp]

Bleach: Rukia often assaults Ichigo whenever he makes her mad.
Fullmetal Alchemist: Winry has, on multiple times, hit Ed in the head with a damn wrench.
Naruto: Any time Sakura is on-screen.
Dragonball Z: This is pretty much Chi-Chi's entire character. Granted, Goku can literally end worlds.
Yu Yu Hakusho: I THINK Kayko hit Yusuke whenever he said something perverted.

The shonens seem to be big on it, for some odd reason.

[Cataclysm]

I can't access youtube right now, but I think this is a part of it

www.youtube.com/watch?v=LlFAd4YdQks

[TheL]

Bleach: Rukia often assaults Ichigo whenever he makes her mad.
Fullmetal Alchemist: Winry has, on multiple times, hit Ed in the head with a damn wrench.
Naruto: Any time Sakura is on-screen.
Dragonball Z: This is pretty much Chi-Chi's entire character. Granted, Goku can literally end worlds.
Yu Yu Hakusho: I THINK Kayko hit Yusuke whenever he said something perverted.

The shonens seem to be big on it, for some odd reason.

Don't forget InuYasha.  Kagome gets angry, commands main character to sit, main character faceplants.

And Full Metal Panic, with Chidori's paper fan.

[Quasirodent]

I know what you're talking about - I see it in American sitcoms quite often.
It'd dually sexist, IMO, because it sends the messages that it's OK for women to abuse men, that it's a sign of machismo to take abuse from women, and that women aren't capable of actually harming men physically so their abuse is laughable.

[Qlockworkcanary]

Dang...this reminds me of a list of movies I seen online a few weeks ago but I can't seem to remember what or where it's at. At any rate, it was a list of popular films and the actual crimes (some of which were when men were being abused).

One example I can think of that the list mentioned was the Wedding Crashers and the scene where a woman ties up and takes advantage of one of the main characters (it's been a long time since I seen it and I may be remembering wrong but it was something like that).

[Thejebusfire]

What about that episode of Invader Zim where Gaz beat the shit out of a little boy for a video game?

[clockworkgirl21]

I think the biggest offender was Everybody Loves Raymond. God, I wanted Debra to be killed off in a meteorite crash so badly.

I'll just leave this here.

[TheUnknown]

One example I can think of that the list mentioned was the Wedding Crashers and the scene where a woman ties up and takes advantage of one of the main characters (it's been a long time since I seen it and I may be remembering wrong but it was something like that).

A better example of this would be 40 Days and 40 Nights, though I'm only going on what TvTropes says, since I haven't seen the movie:

In 40 Days and 40 Nights, Matt Sullivan (Josh Hartnett's character) is abstaining from sex for Lent. His ex-girlfriend, discovering this, and that there is a bet on about how long he can manage it goes to his house to attempt to seduce him. Finding him mentally completely out of it she rapes him. The ex-girlfriend collects her winnings and walks off into the sunset, leaving Matt having to beg his new girlfriend for forgiveness for 'cheating' on her. There is no mention of the ex-girlfriend being punished in any way.

And while someone else points out that this action is meant to portray the ex as a villain, she still goes unpunished and it's still treated much more lightly than if the sexes had been reversed.

TvTropes also has the articles Rape Is OK When It Is Female on Male and Abuse Is Okay When It Is Female on Male if you're curious.

[Scotsgit]

Would you also take an example of male against male sexual violence where it's not portrayed for laughs as it usually is in film?  If so, wathc SCUM starring a young Ray Winstone.  It includes a scene where one of the male inmates is raped and is noticeable for being sympathetic to the victim and not belittling his experience.

[Shane for Wax]

Law and Order has quite a few examples.  (including male on transwoman violence)

There's a lot of the stuff in video games.

Golden Girls also had Dorothy verbally abuse Stan and she's smacked him in the back of the head before.