To try to absolve feminism from its role in shaping postmodern societal mores is a bit like saying that the caterpillar turns into a butterfly, but the chrysalis had nothing to do with it. Of COURSE feminism was a catalyst! It wasn't the only agent of change, but it was certainly one of the most influential.
In his recent HBO special, comedian Dave Chapelle told the audience: "Women nowadays are always saying things like, ‘Chivalry is dead.' Well, let me tell you something: Chivalry IS dead. (Pause.) And WOMEN killed it!" That prompted waves of laughter, and much applause. The camera let us see some of the audience members, and many of those applauding were women.
I'm not ancient, but I am old enough to remember the movies and TV shows of the 1940s and ‘50s, with their not-infrequent spanking scenes. They were funny, titillating, and -- once I was old enough -- even mildly erotic. But I can tell you from my heart, that not once did I ever think these spankings were evidence that men were "better" than women. If anything, they were an act of chivalry. In those movies, when the hero caught up with the bad guy, he would knock him out with a punch to the jaw. But it would have been brutal in the extreme for him to punch the bad WOMAN in the jaw... so, the solution was to hurt her where it would break no bones, cause no visible bruises, and have no lasting effect other than to shake up an ego that could use a little bruising anyway. That's where spankings came in... and, if you'll remember, those scenes were wildly popular with viewers of both sexes.
You've complimented me on my Cinema Swats videos, and even gone so far as to call me "a spanker extraordinaire." I thank you on both counts, and part of me thinks I should "quit while I'm ahead." But please, don't say that feminism had no part in relegating fem-spanking scenes to the trash bin, because that just isn't true.
Fortunately, this feminism thing may work to our advantage after all. After a long dry spell that lasted over thirty years, we are starting to see spankings return to our screens, if only sporadically. In 1984's "All of Me," Steve Martin spanks Victoria Tennant. In 1994's "Dunston Checks In," an actress named Jennifer Bassey receives a handspanking from, of all things, an orangutan! Garry Marshall spanks Dana Delany in "Live Nude Girls" (1995), and in a 1998 episode of her TV show, Tracey Ullman is paddled with a hairbrush by Ron Perlman.
But there is a major difference with these latter-day scenes: All the spankees LIKE it! That's a dynamic that would never have found favor in Hollywood's Golden Age. But secretly we have always known that some ladies do, indeed, enjoy having their bottoms smacked... so why not show spankings as they really are, today? Clearly, this is a win-win situation. Modern spanking scenes bow to the feminist ethic. (Hey, we're just giving women what they want!) Happily, they also please those of us who do not consider ourselves feminists. I hope the trend continues.