The Supreme Court Casts a Shadow on My Entertainment

It’s been a long time since I’ve seen the classic movie Splendor in the Grass, so when TCM offered it up recently, it seemed like a good choice.

It opens with characters played by Natalie Wood and Warren Beatty as teens, making out in a car in a scenic locale. She’s clearly into it but resists his further advances. Frustrated, he gets out of the car and exclaims he might as well take her home.

What, no conversation? A milkshake, maybe?

He walks her to her door and they kiss again. Her mother is inside, listening. Conversation ensues about the date once she goes in. She asks her mother if she’s ever had these “feelings.” Her mother says no, nice girls don’t. Not even when married. Women just go along with sex to have children.

And that’s where I shut it off.

Like I said, I’ve seen this movie before. I’m aware it was released in 1961 and that as the story progresses, both characters’ lives were blown up by those sexual mores. I’m well versed in the gender roles we were raised with.

But I’m in a place where I can’t tolerate the brainwash any longer. And I put the blame squarely on the Supreme Court essentially relegating women to second class citizens and allowing all these bonkers laws regulating our reproductive rights to rise to the surface in individual states. We already know they are doing real harm to women.

These movies used to be quaint viewing. We could watch and think, wow, we’ve come so far. Praise be.

Now?

We had Dirty Dancing — a favorite of mine — on at our recent family vacation. I had never been so acutely aware of Penny’s illegal abortion until seeing it with an anti-abortion family member. I said nothing because we have a “no politics” rule in place, but to me there was an invisible banner hanging over the TV: Dirty Knife, We’re Back There.

Seriously?

Even a Seinfeld rerun hit me hard recently. Elaine is dating the ever-so-cute moving man and declares it could be “Looooooove.” But earlier in the episode she’d caused a scene at a restaurant by talking about being pro-choice. Later, Jerry poses the looming question — How does your new boyfriend feel about abortion? It…