# Revenge of the Nerds (1984 Comedy) - What crime did Lewis commit with Betty? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 25, 2018, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/revenge-of-the-nerds-1984-comedy-what-crime-did-lewis-commit-with-betty/821906 "2018-09-25T18:38:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 3
**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:** [September 28, 2018, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/revenge-of-the-nerds-1984-comedy-what-crime-did-lewis-commit-with-betty/821906/41 "2018-09-28T17:49:57Z")
You do understand that it was not a documentary, but in fact a work of fiction written by men? Of course it panders to male fantasies tha women who reject advances are deserving of rape and that these women will in fact enjoy the rape once it has occurred. Also, these women are the property of their jock boyfriends, so raping them punishes the jocks, too. All of this feeds in to the ‘nice guy’ myth that they are owed being fucked. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2018, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/revenge-of-the-nerds-1984-comedy-what-crime-did-lewis-commit-with-betty/821906/42 "2018-09-28T17:53:43Z")
> [@puddleglum](#): > > The movie is called Revenge of the Nerds, not Nice Things Done by Nerds. By having sex with the main antagonist’s girlfriend and being so much better at it than him, Lewis emasculates the rival thus gaining revenge for the previous humiliations. > In this particular case Betty is not harmed in that she dumps the mean boyfriend who neglects her and finds a new love who loves her too. If Lewis had loved Betty he wouldn’t have raped her. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2018, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/revenge-of-the-nerds-1984-comedy-what-crime-did-lewis-commit-with-betty/821906/43 "2018-09-28T21:19:50Z")
> [@](#): > > Quoth **DPRK** : > > Natural rape is extremely high in erucic acid, which is supposed to be bad for you. I canola hope that you regret that pun. ---
**Author:** ![Penfeather](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penfeather/32/384_2.png) [@Penfeather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Penfeather)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2018, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/revenge-of-the-nerds-1984-comedy-what-crime-did-lewis-commit-with-betty/821906/44 "2018-09-28T21:28:31Z")
> [@puddleglum](#): > > The movie is called Revenge of the Nerds, not Nice Things Done by Nerds. By having sex with the main antagonist’s girlfriend and being so much better at it than him, Lewis emasculates the rival thus gaining revenge for the previous humiliations. > In this particular case Betty is not harmed in that she dumps the mean boyfriend who neglects her and finds a new love who loves her too. Did you read the linked article? Betty is not portrayed as possessing any human agency: she doesn’t find a new love because she doesn’t choose anything: she is claimed as a trophy. Which you make explicit in your post above when you say Lewis takes his revenge by emasculating his rival: none of this is about what the woman wants, and romance is portrayed solely as a dick-waving competition between two rival men. > [@](#): > > The women in the film are entirely represented as objects, and their sexual consent or lack thereof is explicitly portrayed as irrelevant. The heroes and the villains are theoretically competing for Adams College’s version of Hogwarts’ House Cup, but in point of fact the prize they’re competing for is the blonde cheerleader, Betty. At the start of the movie, she is the property of Stan Gable, the villain, but in the end, the hero, Lewis Skolnick, triumphs by claiming her as his own via rape. ---
**Author:** ![rat\_avatar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rat_avatar/32/255_2.png) [@rat\_avatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rat_avatar)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2018, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/revenge-of-the-nerds-1984-comedy-what-crime-did-lewis-commit-with-betty/821906/45 "2018-09-28T21:32:20Z")
While it doesn’t help the very serious problem here is one way to think about it. Apparently I am a lot sexier than Harrison Ford’s characters because apparently he can’t manage to get the attention of a woman without force. 😕 Indiana Jones, Deckard, Han Solo…seriously wtf? Spielberg will redo a movie to change guns into walkie talkies but the rapeish bits are OK? Screw the Bechtel test, apparently we need a consensual sex test to even get close to needing the Bechtel. ---
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2018, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/revenge-of-the-nerds-1984-comedy-what-crime-did-lewis-commit-with-betty/821906/46 "2018-09-28T23:26:47Z")
> [@Arkcon](#): > > Since everything is always going to be viewed through the eyes of contemporary society, maybe we call all just decide to lighten up and ignore this crap. Or just be outraged at everything. Your choice. You are absolutely right! We should all just accept rape culture and all the other ills in the world! We should all just give up! Back To The OP Haven’t seen it in a while. I don’t recall if the camera in the sorority house included a microphone. In some states at the time, that would have been necessary for a wiretap charge. As for dressing in Stan’s costume. I agree it’s rape. And Lewis knows it. He puts on that mask because he knows Betty will not have sex with him otherwise. The pie tins violate privacy, and I seem to recall the Tri Lambs sold them to a few minors too. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/revenge-of-the-nerds-1984-comedy-what-crime-did-lewis-commit-with-betty/821906.md?page=2)