Feminist Stance

Feminism:
1. Belief in the social, political, and economic equality of the sexes.
2. The movement organized around this belief.

source: dictionary.com

Last night I watched a movie that I had been assigned for my Education of Special Populations class. I remember when it came out because Anna Paquin was the same age as me and she was nominated for an Oscar. Oh, right, the movie is The Piano. What a horrible horrible movie! There was so much wrong with it I can't even figure out where to begin.
The reason why it was assigned was because the woman in the story is mute. (She doesn't speak.) So what I was supposed to be looking for was how that affected her and how she was able to still have a normal life in spite of her problem. Well, she certainly does communicate her emotions both through her body language and through her sign language. I think my major issue with this movie is the manipulations between the relationships and how the woman is treated.
Ada is the mute woman. She lived in England until her father arranged a marriage for her to a man in New Zealand who is not bothered by her inability to speak, in fact he finds it a positive attribute. So there is my first issue. Arranged marriage. What crap. Granted, this is set in around the 1870's but the whole idea that a woman is not capable of choosing the person who she wants to marry and that a MAN must do it for her makes me extremely mad.
Let me clarify. I do not hate men. I do not think that men are pigs. I am in love with a wonderful man. I wear bras and like wearing skirts. I simply do not believe that because men have penises and are physically stronger, they are mentally more capable. Back to what pissed me off about the movie.
When Ada and her daughter get to New Zealand, she meets her husband for the first time and he won't bring her piano back to his cabin. When she protests he uses the "I am the man do what I say argument." Total crap. Ada then goes to a guide and asks him to take her to the piano that is still sitting on the beach. This man (can't remember his name) refuses at first but finally gives in and becomes obsessed with her when she plays. He buys the piano from Ada's husband and brings it to his cabin and gets Ada to give him lessons. Only he doesn't want lessons, he wants sex. He sets up a situation where she is forced into his company and then tells her that she can "earn" back her piano by doing.. well.. him.
I do not absolve her of all blame because she does agree to this, but he is forcing her to have sex with him so that she can get her piano back. Anytime you force someone to have sex with you, it is rape. Period. Coerced sex, is still forced sex, which is, therefore, rape.
Skipping alot of gratuitous groping, nudity, and chopping of fingers, they portray her as ending up liking it! So the moral of this movie is that if men manipulate and force women enough, eventually the women will like it and fall in love with them. This idea simply promotes the idea that women are less then men and that they can be forced into doing what men want. Having the ability to overpower someone does not a better person make!
Men and women are different, yes. They make decisions in different ways and they think in different ways. However, one way is not necesarily better than the other. Most men do not even realize the inherent, unearned benefits that they have. It is similar to the inherent, unearned benefits that whites receive and never even think about. I'm not saying that it is their fault, but they do benefit.
I am done venting. Hopefully I was able to express myself in a way that makes sense. It makes sense to me, which doesn't actually mean much.