The iconic ’90s movie American Pie has not aged well.
And the world is divided on what exactly that means…
As some woke teens have watched some older movies.
And pointed out how problematic they really are.
However, other people are not happy about the teens’ comments.
One person wrote: “This world has gotten beyond ridiculous… leave our movies alone.”
Another added: “Well the teens it was made for during the time didn’t find it problematic.”
“I’m so glad I was born at a different time! Grow up people!” a third advised.
While a fourth begged: “No one asked for their input…leave my childhood alone!”
However, the teens did make some good points about the movies.
Scroll on to see what they had to say.
We’ve all heard of cancel culture.
Traditionally, the term “canceled” means to “dismiss something”, or to “reject an individual or an idea”, as per Dictionary.
But it’s a controversial topic.
Canceling someone — whether it be rejecting them, ignoring them, publicly opposing their views or actions, or depriving them of time and attention – has become the go-to tactic for disgruntled and offended internet-goers.
We’ve all heard of this controversy…
Perhaps the most memorable example is the previously-beloved mastermind behind the Harry Potter franchise, J.K Rowling, who was savagely “canceled” after expressing her views on women and gender.
She commented: “‘People who menstruate’. I’m sure there used to be a word for those people. Someone help me out. Wumben? Wimpund? Woomud?”
And, almost instantly, the internet was alight with allegations of transphobia and even some calls for Rowling and the Harry Potter franchise to be canceled and boycotted entirely.
And she’s not the only victim.
Amid former President Trump’s controversial response to the BLM protests last summer, his daughter was hastily dropped by Wichita State University Tech in Kansas just hours after it had been revealed she would be giving a speech to its students.
Many have stood up in opposition to cancel culture.
An open letter to Harper’s Magazine in July last year was signed by more than 150 prominent authors and journalists, including J.K Rowling, Salman Rushdie, and Margaret Atwood, decrying what they see as a loss of open debate and tolerance as a result of cancel-culture.
Another to speak out against the ideology is the man behind Blackadder and Mr. Bean, Rowan Atkinson.
And has long advocated for free speech, as well as campaigning against legislation he believed would “stifle expression.”
“It’s important that we’re exposed to a wide spectrum of opinion,” Atkinson told the Radio Times.
“But what we have now is the digital equivalent of the medieval mob roaming the streets looking for someone to burn.”
But that doesn’t mean cancel culture is over.
And the latest artifacts to come under fire are some of the most beloved movies of the ’90s.
Now, on July 9, 1999, a movie burst into movie theaters the likes of which the American public had never before seen…
It was raunchy, obscene, hilarious – it featured a teenage boy doing unspeakably s*xual things to the most American of desserts, the apple pie.
It was called, quite appropriately, American Pie…
And it was a monster hit among its teenage audience.
The movie was quickly followed by another massive success …
2000’s Dude, Where’s My Car, starring Seann William Scott and Ashton Kutcher.
However, Gen Zers have been watching these classic movies and finding them deeply problematic …
“Comedy has been ruined today. Only a handful of brave comedians left, like Dave Chappelle, Bill Burr and Joe Rogan. Satire comedy has been destroyed. I dare people today to watch Blazing Saddles They would probably have a heart attack!” one person wrote.
The teens had big problems with a whole host of movies, Vice reports.
“This whole movie is completely ridiculous, especially how the only thing the male characters care about is having s*x. They’re willing to say and do whatever just to convince the girls to have s*x with them. I don’t know if that was realistic when the film came out, but I think men treat women with a lot more respect and equality now,” Taylor, sixteen, said of American Pie.
“The part where Jim and the other male characters film the foreign exchange student in his room is deeply problematic. The film doesn’t even question the morality of doing this, it makes it seem like a joke and that the dudes are all ‘legends’ for getting the plan to work. It’s a huge violation of privacy and definitely a s*xual offense for Jim to film her, let alone to then share that with his friends. There’s no way a teen film made now would allow it,” Hannah, seventeen, agreed.
“It’s bordering on incel attitudes the way the guys in this film think that they deserve s*x, and how they seem to think that’s all women are good for rather than wanting a loving relationship with somebody they respect. I think if you were a teenage boy watching this you’d basically feel entitled to behave however you wanted to towards women,” Olivia, eighteen, concluded.
And as for Dude, Where’s My Car?
“I seriously can’t imagine this movie being made today for so many reasons. I hated how practically every woman they meet in the film seems to just exist for the two main characters’ s*xual pleasure, from their girlfriends to the girls they meet at the party and the ones in the strip club. Obviously, the whole movie is completely ridiculous, but it still annoyed me because the main characters are s*xist losers and don’t deserve any female attention,” Taylor, sixteen, critiqued.
Hannah, seventeen, agreed, adding, “I didn’t make it to the end of this film and I genuinely don’t get how anyone could actually sit there and watch the whole thing let alone find any of it funny. There was so much not-ok stuff in it, especially the scene where they go to get a drive-thru Chinese takeaway and the lady taking the order keeps saying ‘and then’ to Ashton Kutcher’s character. I didn’t get if the joke was supposed to be that she doesn’t understand them or that she wants them to order more, but either way it’s not remotely funny and pretty racist.”
“I hated all of it but the worst part is when Jesse gets a lap-dance from a stripper who turns out to be a trans woman, or as they joke in the film ‘a gender-challenged male’, and then Jesse freaks out and starts wiping his tongue because he kissed her, and lifts up her skirt to see her bulge. It plays on stereotypes of trans people as s*x workers and thieves and legitimizes cis male transphobia. It’s so disgusting and I hope it wouldn’t have gotten made if it was written today.” Olivia, eighteen, finished.
Where do you stand on the issue?
Is comedy ever an excuse for being offensive, prejudiced, or problematic?