'Bad Touching' in Supernatural

[hells_half_acre]

Ok, so yesterday I got a bit bored while I waited for the Oscars to start (and then I was kind of bored during the Oscars)...and I started thinking about sexual-assault in Supernatural (as I am wont to do) and these thoughts, along with my new love of creating bar graphs and pie charts, led me to actually start compiling stats on how often Sam and Dean have been sexually assaulted.

Guys...Sam's been molested A LOT (and that's not even including Becky.) Actually, they kicked off the entire series with Sam being molested.

But, I don't have any charts to show you, because in the end, I didn't know how to categorize some events. What do I do with sexualized-violence?

I mean, yeah, there was that time that Sam was tied to a post and Meg licked up his neck and started making out with him...that counts as molestation for sure...but what about the times that Sam has been tied to tables/beds while monsters smeared their fingers with his bodily fluids and then licked them clean? Or that time that the Siren basically ejaculated into Sam's mouth? Does that count as straight up violence, or can I count that has being a non-con sexualized act? What about when Sam was little and that Shtriga was like all up in his business...does that just count as violence, since it was "feeding" and not kissing, or does that count as some sort of allusion to child-molestation (as I've seen it be interpreted on hyper-sensitive extreme feminist reviews)? Where do I draw the line?!

Do I count Becky? :P

Should I also count the number of times that Dean has felt that he needed to take a "rape shower"? (It's been about 3 times so far this season).

And should I open the can of worms that is sexualized violence/rape of women and do a comparison chart? (If I include the shapeshifter babies, then that number goes through the roof....so, I'd have to stick with molestation/whatever that we actually see - but if I do that, do I have to include the fact that technically Sam shouldn't have slept with Gen while she thought he was Jared? Even though I totally would have...and technically he was in Jared body...that episode breaks my brain.)

Should I just abandon this idea as a crazy fool's errand?

Comments

[kuhekabir.livejournal.com]

That is definitly an intersting train of thought...I can't find any fault in any of what you just said!

[msninacat.livejournal.com]

I think for your own sanity you should just let it be. You'd get too many people saying you didn't interpret a certain situation right because there are so many personalized beliefs on what constitutes certain situations that it would be like trying to make an episode that made everyone happy. Have the discussions and pontificate on it but I'd leave the charts out of this one. :D

[ratherastory.livejournal.com]

Ten-foot-pole, babe. That would be my suggestion. This is a grey area, and hardcore trigger material for people.

Also, as far as I could tell, Sam never slept with Gen in that episode. We see him pulling back at the base of the stairs, and in the next scene (ish?) he tells Dean he spent the whole night researching. So, no sex with another hypothetical man's wife.

[purple-carpets.livejournal.com]

I got a bit bored while I waited for the Oscars to start (and then I was kind of bored during the Oscars)...and I started thinking about sexual-assault in Supernatural
Do we share a brain? oO

Hm, msninacat is probably right, you'd only get a lot of people upset for putting things in the wrong category. On the other hand I really want moaaar charts.

[nwspaprtaxis.livejournal.com]

I think [Unknown site tag] is spot on with her advice... although ratherastory has a valid point about it being trigger material and employing the Teen-Foot-Pole.

I do like all of your points. Especially about the show kicking off with Sam being practically molested...

[alexseanchai]

PERSONAL CANON.

[alexseanchai]

Also, that one interview where Jensen hinted he thought Dean was a teenage hooker.

[hells-half-acre.livejournal.com]

Thanks! I think I'm siding with everyone else though, and I'm going to leave this can of worms be. :P

[hells-half-acre.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I'm starting to think so too...plus, I wouldn't want anyone with "experience" to feel belittled if I categorized something wrong in their opinion.

I mean, my main point is just that if people are going to talk about sexual-assault or sexualized violence in the show, they should include those instances when men are victims and not just when females are...but I don't need charts to say that.

Thanks for weighing in!

[hells-half-acre.livejournal.com]

Yes, after sleeping on it (twice), I agree with you. I'd just be opening up an ugly can of worms.

And good point about Sam in that episode! After all, as mercuryblue144 points out below with their linked coda, it'd be pretty weird to sleep with a girl who was your pusher in another reality...not to mention the fact that Sam once held her still so that Dean could stab her in the guts.

[hells-half-acre.livejournal.com]

Haha, I'm so glad I have people out there who like my new addiction to charts :P

But yeah, I'm thinking I should leave the charts alone..sadly.

[hells-half-acre.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I'm thinking that I might employ the ten-foot-pole...at least with categorizing events anyway. It'd be fine if people disagreed with me, but I wouldn't want people to disagree with me and have their personal experience feel belittled in anyway.

I'll just continue to point out the theme of male-sexual-assault when I do my quick reaction and rewatch posts, and leave it at that. :)

[hells-half-acre.livejournal.com]

Awesome! I think that will be my personal canon too...because it is makes a lot of sense! I mean, with all that inner turmoil, even if he tried, would Sam be able to perform? I'm thinking no.

That interview with Jensen is personal canon for me too - because I sort of think that if an actor has thought up a possible back-story for their character, that until the writers outright say differently, it becomes canon...just for the simple fact that the actor is going to be acting out that character as if that past were fact.

So, yeah, would that be another thing I'd have to put on the chart? It's just too convoluted and contentious a topic! I think I'll just leave it be. I'll just stick with making charts for their clothes. ;)

[galwithglasses.livejournal.com]

Since it is Sam with a soul, I've been going with your interpretation of the whole Sam sleeping with Gen business. With all the computer stuff going on in that house, Sam was probably able to indulge his inner geek.

[lusciniate.livejournal.com]

I think I'll just leave it be. I'll just stick with making charts for their clothes. ;)
Don't sound so sad!
You can always make charts and graphs for some easier distinguishable and decideable (can you make a word like that from "decide"? ) violence performed against both of them! E.G. You can always count how many times they have been choked/disarmed/kicked etc., etc. And make the charts according to the season, time of the year, type of the bad guy (e.g. demon/angel/human/just a monster) and so on :)

[hells-half-acre.livejournal.com]

Hmmm...true...a Sammy-choking chart would be a pretty epic thing indeed.

Maybe that will be my summer project. I could keep the non-con kissing category though, since that's pretty inarguable. And then have a section that just says "untold horrors in hell"...which people can use their imagination with (and happens to be the only time that straight-up rape is alluded to, but I don't have to mention that explicitly.)

[nwspaprtaxis.livejournal.com]

Sounds awesome!

And yes, that's probably the best approach.