Romantic comedies turn men into stalkers
Hach ... romantic comedies can improve even the dullest rainy day, right? Whether "Notting Hill", "Bridget Jones" or any combination of Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan: Turbulent love stories do not just make the hearts of movie fans beat faster. For what is more romantic than a droll man who can not be discouraged by any setback and stumbles with his perseverance deep into the heart of his great love?
It's just fun - right?
Sure, in real life, such a sobering look would not necessarily be flattering, but in many cases rather daunting. The big swarm that transforms his girlfriend from the ugly duckling into a prom queen, is not a dream man outside the cinema, but a manipulative disgust, which is all about externals.
But no matter: movies are fairy tales after all, and a little sighing and dreaming are harmless fun - you should think. But a study from the University of Michigan shows that romantic comedies contribute measurably to the trivialization of stalking and harassment.
A real man puts in the stuff!
This sounds hard at first glance, but the results of the study are clear: the subjects, after looking at a typical romantic comedy, were much more likely to think that the harassment examples shown were just particularly passionate attempts to gain attention.
Sure, that was just a single experiment with a limited number of participants, but it does throw a bad light on the "romantic dream men" who have been entertaining us for years.
For what is it about every romantic movie? To people who do not resign themselves to the fact that their great love does not want to know about them after two thirds of the movie. And at this point the man is in demand: Heroes who persistently stick to the object of their desire will eventually be rewarded with hot kisses after a great romantic gesture.
Romantic gestures, like hanging out in front of her window at night and playing loud music ...
... or to impose a declaration of love after the wedding with another man (without any signal from her side) ...
... or at the very best howling out his love in a big staging in front of a large audience - she will not be the spoilsport in front of so many people.
And the women do not look any better either - if they are not the main prize to be won, they, too, go beyond the limits of love. To pretend to be the fiancée of a strange coma victim would be a case for the police - for Sandra Bullock in "While You're Asleep", on the other hand, a great way to get closer to her big crush.
Dream or nightmare?
Of course, this is about dreams and longings. If we wanted to see the sober reality in the cinema, there would be every day the "Tagesschau" on the screen. Even die-hard "Shades of Gray" fans will find none of this documentary or suitable for everyday use.
But it is strange that among all the romance films there is practically no example of a romance that would be considered in normal life as a healthy relationship of people, right?
And there's the problem: just as many teens think on first contact with porn that sex and intimacy work that way, many romantic comedies suggest that you just have to be stubborn enough for love - despite all odds. In other words: classic stalking.
Even women, according to the study, are accustomed to perceive intrusive behavior as "flattering". It's nice if someone loves you so much that he does not want to leave the site!
Do not worry: love films remain lovable
All this should not spoil the fun of favorite movies. Study, study, we still look forward to it, when the couple falls after almost 90 minutes in the pouring rain in the arms.
But it would be great if at least every now and then a flirtation attempt like "I watched you while asleep" would not be answered with flattered giggles, but like this:
