It was a different time man. Welcome to Ms. Mojo and today
We're counting down our picks for the top 10 80's movie tropes. That would not work today.
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For this list will be ranking popular movie tropes often found in movies from the 1980s which would likely be considered either offensive or
troublesome by today's standards. For the record,
We're not saying that the people behind these tropes were intentionally being insensitive
But rather pointing out how times have changed with regards to what is and isn't accepted in the movies.
Number 10 treatment of AIDS. He got the disease from a bad blood
transfusion. By the end of his life he also got a lot of compassion.
But it was awfully late coming. After AIDS was clinically observed in America in
1981, it quickly became a topic of Daily News reports what also came quickly were fears and misinformation, especially because it was initially linked to homosexual men.
Taboo topic was only really broached in pop culture towards mid decade though and even then the disease was depicted relatively unrealistically.
Not only was there usually some distance given between it and the main story,
but it also often involved heterosexual characters according to celeb journalist David Kaplan
Things slowly began to change when then closeted movie star Rock Hudson announced his AIDS diagnosis
HIV/AIDS now carries much less of a stigma and isn't portrayed in the movies as being solely a quote "gay disease."
How do I tell my friends the people I work with that I have the gay plague? How do I do that?
Number nine: "That's retarded." "You've been coming in here at least three times the date?
What are you a retard?" Okay to be fair this movie trope wasn't only exclusive to the 1980's
As this sort of language was being on ironically used straight into the 90's and beyond never go for every time
Still, the phrase "that's retarded" was very much a part of the cultural lexicon
During the 80's and acts as an indication of how the mentally challenged were often treated in the movies well
That's retarded. Although a character like Sloth from the Goonies is
Endearing and lovable, the fact that he's chained to a wall by the Fratelli gang doesn't speak much for how his family members see him.
Thankfully, cinema in general seems to have gotten away from this sort of language in the early 21st century.
Retard! I'm trying to concentrate on the road. Number eight: Women in The Workplace. That's your desk.
In there.
I don't think so. The 1980's saw more women in the workplace than ever before, with many Baby Boomers
Deciding to balance both family and a career rather than having to choose between the two
There was still some work to do with regards to gender politics
However, the idea that women quote "have it easy" as homemakers was lampooned in the Michael Keaton comedy "Mister Mom"
But the truth is some movies during this time still
represented men as the primary breadwinners, with women coming in second place when it came to a living wage and
Responsibility on the job. Just a minute Alex daddy's talking. Number seven: Widespread Smoking. Smoking is a vice and today
It's largely relegated to villains or psychologically complex characters
Who are able to overcome the sometimes stigmatizing appearance of lighting up.
This is very different from films made in the 80's, where it wouldn't be uncommon for a variety of characters to be seen
casually smoking. The MPAA today is much more strict when it comes to how smoking is depicted on screen and
More likely to condemn heroes who smoke to avoid influencing young people in the audience.
Although, the question as to whether this is right or wrong is up for debate.
There's no denying that we see far less casual smoking now than ever before.
Cool. Number six: Ignored Bullying.
Today, most if not all schools have a strict set of guidelines with regards to bullying and how it should be handled by faculty members
Things were a lot looser in the 80's, a time when the on-screen bully was often one of the most memorable
characters in a film geared at young adults or kids. Usually these bullies received their comeuppance.
But it was really at the hands of anyone in charge and rather by the young heroes themselves.
Sure, sometimes 80's bullies were just too smart or careful to get caught
But other times their behavior was enabled by the lack of Authority and safety found within these fictional schools
Number five: Raped Double Standards.
You're that nerd! This trope is often played for laughs. Yet the implications behind the subject matter are anything
but funny. The idea behind this trope is that men always want sex and can never be seen as an
unwilling participant in the act.
I say you let me have him first. This, of course, isn't true.
But that didn't stop many films in the 80's and even sometimes today from using this as an opportunity for humor
There are lots of problematic rape tropes in 80's movies, like "Revenge of the Nerds" where the idea of one character
Pretending to be a girl's boyfriend in order to have sex with her is made to be humorous, despite the situation being a clear
example of sex without consent.
Nerds as good as you? Yes.
Number Four: Vilifying Entire Nations.
In the 80's, many films that reflected a pro-american stance often did so at the expense of entire nations.
Vilifying them in the narrative and using negative stereotypes
We often saw this trope in action films like "Invasion USA"
Or more subtly in John Milius's "Red Dawn", where America is invaded by the Soviet Union
This trope could also be seen in less obvious places, like the Libyan terrorists who killed Doc Brown in "Back to the Future"
Thankfully, it is a bit more tact in today's cinematic culture, but the shadow of this trope still looms large today
Number three: Asian Stereotypes. I'm sorry
Mogwai, not for sale. Asian characters have been depicted with a wide variety of stereotypes attached to them over the years
often times characters of Asian descent are saddled with the same old cultural cliches that have dogged them for years, such as possessing a
mystical nature, or an affinity for math or martial arts.
And that's not even mentioning the racist musical stings or Gong noises that often signaled their arrival onto a scene.
Very clever dinner. 80's movies often had their fair share of wacky Asians scary Asians or wise Asians
But it was rare to see an Asian character playing a lead role
Number 2: Blackface. Newton Crosby
You must make instantaneous appearance. You might think that the idea of black or brown face is only part of a theater and vaudeville
History long past but surprisingly it still existed in the 80s there were still plenty of examples of white actors
Painting their faces to take on the appearance of being a different race just to what's mmm
Although, C.Thomas Howell's appearance in "Soul Men" is the most obvious culprit here.
There are other examples of this trope such as Fisher Stevens portrayal of an Indian scientist in "Short Circuit"
or Dan Aykroyd in blackface and dreadlocks in "Trading Places."
Number one: Casual Homophobia. Yes, you're a total fag! The idea of tossing around homophobic slurs, gay jokes or
Stereotyping in a mainstream movie today would be unthinkable.
Unless those insults were being hurled by one of the film's villains.
This wasn't exactly the case during the 80's however with many of the decades most popular film franchises featuring plenty of
Homophobic jokes and storylines. George my hero.
Or as a whole it's not sometimes the behavior could be limited to a throwaway line like in "Teen Wolf"
fag.
Werewolf. Or the played for laughs awkwardness of the blue oyster scene in "Police Academy."
Other times it was more overt such as dunes Baron her Conan and the implied association between homosexuality,
disease and pedophilia
diseases
Eternity. Do you agree with our picks? Check out these other great clips from Ms. Mojo and subscribe for new videos every day.