"The Way You Make Me Feel" - A Problematic Vibe?

DancingMjsdream

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So i've been talking to some fans who don't like the video because it can be seen as a contribution to 'rape culture'

Personally,i have never ever interpretated the music video THAT way and i was actually surprised that there were scholars who wrote about the 'damaging imagery' in this video back in the day.

Someone sent me this video but it was more like a joke, but i didn't know how creepy this video can be without music and a voice over *lol*


https://youtu.be/9H1q53Q-pnQ

So what is your opinion?
 
Re: Can The Way You Make Me Feel be seen as 'rapey'?

I can see how someone would see it like that. You can see Tatiana's character liking it so I don't see a problem. I think the video is great.
 
Re: Can The Way You Make Me Feel be seen as 'rapey'?

I can see how someone would see it like that. You can see Tatiana's character liking it so I don't see a problem. I think the video is great.

I agree.
I mean there are some aspects (the lightning,the corner scene) but I think it was more of a 'macho meets the hard-to get' type of thing.

I do wonder if it would have been a different thing if that video had been released today.
 
Re: Can The Way You Make Me Feel be seen as 'rapey'?

homer_facepalm.jpg
 
Re: Can The Way You Make Me Feel be seen as 'rapey'?

I can see how 2017 "im so so offended" groups could.

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Re: Can The Way You Make Me Feel be seen as 'rapey'?

I can see how 2017 "im so so offended" groups could.

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IKR!
Well actually, those type of people and the people that for whatever sick reason desperately want Michael to have been a rapist in some way, shape, or form.
 
Re: Can The Way You Make Me Feel be seen as 'rapey'?

IKR!
Well actually, those type of people and the people that for whatever sick reason desperately want Michael to have been a rapist in some way, shape, or form.
I find this post offensive.
 
Re: Can The Way You Make Me Feel be seen as 'rapey'?

Yeah I've seen people referring to this video as 'creepy' on social media more recently.

I might consider it if the word wasn't used to refer to Michael so often. Starting a family was creepy. Going to the shops was creepy. Helping the loss fortunate was creepy. Yawn.
 
Re: Can The Way You Make Me Feel be seen as 'rapey'?

No, because Tatiana does not look intimidated at all. She's clearly having fun and enjoying the attention Michael is giving her. To call this an example of rape culture trivialises the meaning of rape - in fact the term "rape culture" itself does that because it is used to describe any type of sexualisation of women, whether consensual or not. Many women know what it's like to be harassed on the street and we don't laugh and play around with the men who are bothering us. But people are desperate to pin the creepy / woman-hater label on Michael while other artists get a pass. That concept of TWYMMF has been done a million times. A song like Blurred Lines can get to #1 all over the world but some people are worried about a 30-year-old Michael Jackson video in which he's playfully chasing a girl. Priorities -_-
 
Re: Can The Way You Make Me Feel be seen as 'rapey'?

No, because Tatiana does not look intimidated at all. She's clearly having fun and enjoying the attention Michael is giving her. To call this an example of rape culture trivialises the meaning of rape - in fact the term "rape culture" itself does that because it is used to describe any type of sexualisation of women, whether consensual or not. Many women know what it's like to be harassed on the street and we don't laugh and play around with the men who are bothering us. But people are desperate to pin the creepy / woman-hater label on Michael while other artists get a pass. That concept of TWYMMF has been done a million times. A song like Blurred Lines can get to #1 all over the world but some people are worried about a 30-year-old Michael Jackson video in which he's playfully chasing a girl. Priorities -_-

I agree. Maybe the place (Street at night) wasn't the best but I could hardly see anything that might make the video creepy.
 
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Re: Can The Way You Make Me Feel be seen as 'rapey'?

I don't want anything of Michael to help "rape culture".... not with already the stigma around him... lol!


But no, Tatianna playfully taunts Michael through the whole video.. The video does play into the macho guy and female roles, putting each in a stereotype that the sexes would lik to break.. But, not rape!! I think the video was more a way of seeing Michael as 'one of the boys' which we never saw.. The whole BAD feel was to make him 'BAD', "manly","Tough".. as tough as a little guy can be with makeup and being so pretty lol!

He pulled it off, never have I seen a pretty boy be so bad ass!!
 
Re: Can The Way You Make Me Feel be seen as 'rapey'?

Even as someone who has been followed by strange men, I don't see this video as 'rapey'; mainly because Tatiana's character seems tough enough to handle herself, and she's having fun teasing and playing with Michael. If he had backed her into a corner and wouldn't let her leave, then I could see the point, but he's walking next to her, and she has ample chances to walk away
 
Re: Can The Way You Make Me Feel be seen as 'rapey'?

One day I'm gonna walk up to a woman on the street and sing ''YOU KNOCK ME OFF OF MY FEET NOW, BABY WHOO!!'' and then I'll bust out a dance movie. Be interesting to see what happens
 
Re: Can The Way You Make Me Feel be seen as 'rapey'?

One day I'm gonna walk up to a woman on the street and sing ''YOU KNOCK ME OFF OF MY FEET NOW, BABY WHOO!!'' and then I'll bust out a dance movie. Be interesting to see what happens

If you're lucky she's an MJ fan lol
 
Re: Can The Way You Make Me Feel be seen as 'rapey'?

One day I'm gonna walk up to a woman on the street and sing ''YOU KNOCK ME OFF OF MY FEET NOW, BABY WHOO!!'' and then I'll bust out a dance movie. Be interesting to see what happens

Haha, I would get it immediately, and would probably join in!
 
Re: Can The Way You Make Me Feel be seen as 'rapey'?

Anyone who thinks "The Way You Make Me Feel" sound and/or ugh :puke: rapey "God I hated that word" and believing it like a ugh :puke: rape culture is really retarded ( STUPID JACK@$$ES!!!)
 
Re: Can The Way You Make Me Feel be seen as 'rapey'?

The girl more than wants MJ to do all that so it's totally consensual how could it be rapey.
 
Re: Can The Way You Make Me Feel be seen as 'rapey'?

Someone that finds the vid to associate with rape culture must obviously have a sensitive view.. maybe relates the video t something that happened to them, someone they've known, or a tragic story they heard.. It can't just be from the vid alone
 
Re: Can The Way You Make Me Feel be seen as 'rapey'?

i was going to post this in the unpopular opinions thread, but I found this...

I think the video definitely promoted harassment. Tatiana looked scared when she was trapped in the alley, with Michael and his crew behind her, blocking her path. they do this multiple times, and it only becomes somewhat equal when her friends show up.

Michael put his hand on her shoulder and made lewd gestures with his body. she was stalked and pestered until she finally gave in. are we to believe she fell in love with him because of a dance routine? he crossed the boundaries, and wasn't being a gentleman. I doubt that anyone would support this behaviour had this been someone other than michael. yet we know what happened when she kissed him in real life.... he wasn't like that.

this video, along with the bad image in general, was just a way to portray a macho persona. a response to the criticism of him being too clean cut. an effort to compete with raunchy contemporaries. It all contradicted his message from beat it, and played a role in damaging his wholesome brand. he gave in to the standards of the world, when he should have stood his ground and been himself. everything became darker from this point onwards..

he didn't need to do any of that. he was already a compelling artist and the best performer.
 
Re: Can The Way You Make Me Feel be seen as 'rapey'?

I have always considered the video as harmless. It has always been a game, a teasing and she is happy that he is behind her, sure no signs of fear.
And at the end of the video they get what they both wanted and it is not even demonstrated in a passionate kiss, but in a mutual embrace.
 
Re: Can The Way You Make Me Feel be seen as 'rapey'?

Well, this is kind of the age we are now living in honestly. The hilarious thing to me is that I literally thought to myself a few months ago, "ya know, why do I feel like in 2018 someone could get offended by this and have this video banned?" It probably sounds crazy but in an age where "Apu" from the Simpsons is now offensive (not to go into that at all), it honest to God does not surprise me.

I try to take myself out of the equation because I am a die-hard like all of you and believe its ridiculous...but I can see how people can go that route. We see it as harmless because we never looked at it that way and have been programmed into seeing it for how it is. I'd be curious to know what say a teenager would think of it who has never seen the video before. My ex girlfriend has 2 teenage girls and I could totally see at least one of them saying its a little "Creepish" at the least. I also try to take a step back and say, "now if a guy would do that today it totally would not fly". In 2018 you just can't have a group of guys following a girl in a street telling her how attractive she is because people will immediately throw up red flags.

Hell, I bet if Michael dropped that same video today he would have to put a Thriller-esq disclaimer on the dog-gone thing.
 
Speaking of the Simpsons, the episode where Homer was accused of sexual harassment has many parallels with the Michael Jackson story.
 
like I said, I should have posted my comment in the unpopular opinions thread (along with the rest of my comments in general..)

Michael dancing around ola ray in thriller was playful. they were already involved with each other and it was all smiles. same with latoya in say says say (ignoring the fact that they were related in real life!) with Tatiana, is was crude and creepy. too much too soon. people were already talking about it being problematic when it was first released. nevermind 2018. I remember the women in my family being upset, and they all like michael.

Michael's crew were made up of real life crip gang members! how can a lone woman in a tight dress and high heels stand up to a mob like that? what other option did she have other than to play along? she rolled her eyes, she walked away. he could clearly see her signals, but he didn't care. it's a terrible message to send. it tells men that women are playing hard to get, and to push things further until she gives in. no really means no.

the fact that she got stuck in the alley shows that she wasn't from the neighbourhood (as some tried to argue). whereas Michael knows the streets so well that he could set off the fire hydrant with his voice! she was at a complete disadvantage. they couldn't even give her any lines of dialogue.

that hip thrusting and pavement gyrating was nasty! again, take Michael out of the equation, and imagine that all this is coming from some random stranger that you don't find attractive. in a way, the live performances were worse because the women were literally props.

the agenda was spelled out in the bad 25 documentary.
 
What kinda SJW type of thread is this?
tumblr_n0plhkQHAZ1qbc20oo5_250.gif

Why are people so unbelievably sensitive? Like Jesus this has to be the dumbest debate ever. I'm all for feminism and equality for all races,genders,sexualities,etc. but this is such a highly disgusting question to pose to people. Michael was definitely into women,but objectifying them was definitely not on his agenda,especially for this video. Michael was mackin' on Tatianna fully during the time this video came out and the subsequent time they spent together until she was fired after that infamous kiss and she wanted it 100%. It wasn't objectification or anything of the sort. He was trying to get a girl and he succeeded. That was the whole plot of the video. To say that this iconic video is problematic really makes me question the severe sensitivity our world has come into. I'm offended that someone would even question Michael's motives for this video. Don't get me wrong,I do personally feel like the director (Joe Pytka) was kind of a creep and he gave me creepy vibes watching the Bad 25 documentary. But I fully don't agree with the fact that Tatianna (or any of the women in the video for that matter) in any way was being objectified by Michael or any of the men (especially the Crip gang members) on the set of that video. She was playing a part in a video. She would have definitely by now come out and would have told the MJ fan community that she felt objectified on the set and that this video is problematic. But it's definitely more of a generational sensitivity than anything. And LaToya was also in the video and I also feel that she would have also come out and said that the video was problematic and promoting a "pro-rape" agenda,which I fully don't agree with.
 
Snowflake generation maybe? I don't see a problem with the video at all. Just a guy teasing and flirting. I guess opinions differ.
 
What are with all the films (new and many old Hollywood-classic) where the man grabs the woman and kissed her and she first gives a little bit resistence but then she is kissing him also with full emmotion because when you look the film everyone knows she is also in love with him.
Maybe they have to censor all this films.
I think in times of "Me too" the man in future has to make a contract with the woman where she states she wants to be kissed and touched from him.
 
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