# 16 Candles **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** movies\ **Created:** [January 13, 2014, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/16-candles/678620 "2014-01-13T00:45:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2014, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/16-candles/678620/1 "2014-01-13T00:45:05Z")
I had heard of this film ages ago and saw it was on tonight. Was it controversial when it was released? To a modern viewer the crude racism and the flippant treatment of harassment and sexual assault is really, really, jarring. Were the skeevy rapey antics considered just a lark back in the day? It’s a 30 year old film, maybe mores have changed a lot since it was made but I found the whole thing kinda fucked up. ---
**Author:** ![Tangent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tangent/32/3098_2.png) [@Tangent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tangent)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2014, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/16-candles/678620/2 "2014-01-13T00:49:38Z")
Pretty typical of 80s teen comedies. ---
**Author:** ![carnut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnut/32/3531_2.png) [@carnut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnut)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2014, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/16-candles/678620/3 "2014-01-13T00:52:00Z")
Watching _Sixteen Candles_ was like watching my high-school life over again. Yeah, it was a little over-the-top, but not much. ---
**Author:** ![WOOKINPANUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wookinpanub/32/132_2.png) [@WOOKINPANUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUB)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2014, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/16-candles/678620/4 "2014-01-14T17:34:57Z")
To quote another classic 80’s film, lighten up Francis. Just kidding; I couldn’t resist ;)Still, I do find it odd that anyone would come away skeeved by _Sixteen Candles_. I remember watching it with my _mother_ when it first came out on cable and we both loved it. I’m sure it would never get made in today’s overly PC world though. ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2014, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/16-candles/678620/5 "2014-01-14T18:14:10Z")
I don’t think I’ve seen it since it first came out, but doesn’t the jock give the nerd his unconscious girlfriend to rape? ---
**Author:** ![WOOKINPANUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wookinpanub/32/132_2.png) [@WOOKINPANUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUB)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2014, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/16-candles/678620/6 "2014-01-14T18:43:40Z")
> [@madmonk28](#): > > I don’t think I’ve seen it since it first came out, but doesn’t the jock give the nerd his unconscious girlfriend to rape? Well he lets him drive her home in his dad’s fancy car and they wake up in a parking lot and allude to having had sex. Seeing as they’re both still fully clothed and the nerd is wearing his head gear, I’m not sure how that would work. She’s not unhappy about it, though 😃 ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2014, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/16-candles/678620/7 "2014-01-14T19:09:00Z")
But isn’t she passed out drunk and doesn’t the jock essentially ‘give’ her to the nerd? Again, I haven’t seen it in a long time, but that’s kind of what I remember. ---
**Author:** ![Learjeff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/94ad74/32.png) [@Learjeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Learjeff)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2014, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/16-candles/678620/8 "2014-01-14T19:56:00Z")
The 80’s weren’t such dark ages. I haven’t seen this film, but my guess is it probably offended sensibilities back then too (probably intentionally). I’m not saying we haven’t made progress since then, but the gap between the 50’s and the 80’s is huge compared to 80’s and now. We’ve certainly made more progress regarding sexual orientation since then, thank goodness. I suppose it matters where you lived. I remember visiting Australia in 85/86, and thinking that regarding sexism and racism, I’d stepped back 20 years, compared to Ann Arbor MI. AA was progressive compared to much of MI, but I remember a friend from NY saying “You people think you’re liberal? This isn’t liberal!” I suggested she drive down to Jackson MI and compare. ---
**Author:** ![WOOKINPANUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wookinpanub/32/132_2.png) [@WOOKINPANUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUB)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2014, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/16-candles/678620/9 "2014-01-14T19:56:09Z")
> [@madmonk28](#): > > But isn’t she passed out drunk and doesn’t the jock essentially ‘give’ her to the nerd? Again, I haven’t seen it in a long time, but that’s kind of what I remember. She _is_ very drunk and on the verge of passing out. As a reward for giving him info on Molly Ringwald’s character, the jock tells the nerd he can drive the girlfriend home, but he has to make sure she gets home safely and not just left somewhere. I guess you could consider that “giving” her to him. I never saw it that way; the context is just an over the top depiction of high school shenanigans and about as plausible as any of the other stuff in the film, which is, not very. ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2014, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/16-candles/678620/10 "2014-01-14T20:26:40Z")
I thought I remembered another thread on this topic, and I’ve found it: [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=447163&highlight=candles](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=447163&highlight=candles) **Freudian Slit** quotes this exchange from the script: > [@](#): > > Jake: I can get a piece of ass anytime I want. Shit, I’ve got Caroline in the bedroom right now, passed out cold. I could violate her ten different ways if I wanted to. > Geek: (almost chokes on a pretzel) What are you waiting for? > Jake: I don’t know. She’s beautiful and she’s built and all that, I’m just not interested anymore. > Geek: Does that really matter, guy? > Jake: Yeah it matters. She’s totally insensitive. Look what she did to my house. She doesn’t know shit about love. The only thing she cares about is partying. I want a serious girlfriend. Somebody I can love that’s gonna love me back. (pause) Is that psycho? > Geek: (spits out an olive) That’s beautiful, Jake. You know I think a ton of guys feel the same way you do. > Jake: Really? > Geek: Yeah, they just don’t have the…the balls to admit it. You know what I mean? I mean, they’re just…they’re wimps. Samantha is a…she’s really special. > Jake: I’ll make a deal with you. (holds up the panties) You let me keep these, I’ll let you take Caroline home. But you’ve got to make sure she gets home. You can’t leave her in a parking lot somewhere. Okay? > Geek: Jake, I’m only a Freshman. > Jake: So, she’s so blitzed she won’t know the difference. I have to agree with him, that’s pretty creepy. ---
**Author:** ![GrandWino](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grandwino/32/67_2.png) [@GrandWino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrandWino)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2014, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/16-candles/678620/11 "2014-01-14T20:31:20Z")
I live really close to the main house from the movie and always drive visiting friends past it when I have the chance (as well as the Uncle Buck, Home Alone, and She’s Having a Baby houses). One of my all time favorite comedies, despite it’s less PC bits. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim_r.mortiss/32/142_2.png) [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_R.Mortiss)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2014, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/16-candles/678620/12 "2014-01-14T21:11:17Z")
People weren’t nearly as uptight in those days and had much better senses of humor. If you thought \*Sixteen Candles \*was crude, I implore you, do NOT watch _Blazing Saddles_. ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2014, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/16-candles/678620/13 "2014-01-14T21:20:06Z")
Or Amos and Andy. ---
**Author:** ![Laggard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/9de053/32.png) [@Laggard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Laggard)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2014, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/16-candles/678620/14 "2014-01-14T21:33:59Z")
Looking back now the Donger seems pretty offensive. We laughed at the time. The movie Vacation had what now seems like a pretty poor joke when the family gets lost in St. Louis and ends up in a heavily African American neighborhood. I remember hearing that Harold Ramis is now embarrassed about that scene and would do it differently or not at all now. ---
**Author:** ![GrandWino](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grandwino/32/67_2.png) [@GrandWino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrandWino)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2014, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/16-candles/678620/15 "2014-01-14T21:35:44Z")
> [@Laggard](#): > > Looking back now the Donger seems pretty offensive. We laughed at the time. The movie Vacation had what now seems like a pretty poor joke when the family gets lost in St. Louis and ends up in a heavily African American neighborhood. I remember hearing that Harold Ramis is now embarrassed about that scene and would do it differently or not at all now. I don’t know, if you stop in East St. Louis today you’re probably just as likely to have that happen to you. ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2014, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/16-candles/678620/16 "2014-01-14T21:46:17Z")
Yeah, it’s not really a matter of being crude, there is lots of very crude and very funny humor being produced today, it’s a matter of certain segments of society being written off as not really fully human, which I guess is crude in its own way. ---
**Author:** ![xizor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xizor/32/102_2.png) [@xizor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xizor)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2014, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/16-candles/678620/17 "2014-01-14T23:51:19Z")
I just wanted to say that this weekend I ordered a Pizza using the name “Long Duk Dong”. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![carnut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnut/32/3531_2.png) [@carnut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnut)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2014, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/16-candles/678620/18 "2014-01-15T00:46:26Z")
As if high school is a refined experience for kids these days? C’mon, a lot of the jokes in the movie were done precisely because they were jokes. They were done in high school precisely because they were jokes too. Sadly, I did know kids who got themselves blitzed regularly. My best friend was AA by the time we were seniors. I was considered a prig for not drinking or doing drugs (weed didn’t work for me and I certainly wasn’t going to pop for anything stronger) amongst my crowd. There was also a crowd of goody-two-shoes kids that I probably should have belonged in but I didn’t find them interesting enough. Freshmen nerds could be counted on to bring your drunk girl home simply because, though they might have wanted the sexual experience, they were not going to take advantage of a drunk girl unless she made the first moves. High school is a time that is both more innocent and more crazy than we want to admit. ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2014, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/16-candles/678620/19 "2014-01-15T01:31:28Z")
> [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](#): > > People weren’t nearly as uptight in those days and had much better senses of humor. > > If you thought \*Sixteen Candles \*was crude, I implore you, do NOT watch _Blazing Saddles_. I didn’t say the film was crude, it is, but that’s not what I was complaining about. I gave out about the crude racism in it. I don’t know why anyone then or now would find that Donger character funny and the exchange madmonk28 quoted upthread isn’t funny. If a scene where a character is saying he can rape his unconscious girlfriend can ever be funny, that ain’t it. ---
**Author:** ![GrandWino](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grandwino/32/67_2.png) [@GrandWino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrandWino)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2014, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/16-candles/678620/20 "2014-01-15T01:51:17Z")
> [@An\_Gadai](#): > > I didn’t say the film was crude, it is, but that’s not what I was complaining about. I gave out about the crude racism in it. I don’t know why anyone then or now would find that Donger character funny and the exchange madmonk28 quoted upthread isn’t funny. If a scene where a character is saying he can rape his unconscious girlfriend can ever be funny, that ain’t it. That scene wasn’t supposed to be funny though, it’s to show that Jake doesn’t give a shit about Caroline and would rather be with Samantha - the girl he really likes. I’m not saying it makes him a good guy, it doesn’t, but the exchange wasn’t put in for laughs. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/16-candles/678620.md?page=2)