MovieChat Forums > Locke (2014) Discussion > The movie sums up the popular opinion in...

The movie sums up the popular opinion in society that makes me so angry

posted 10 years ago by CombinationOfCharacters
120 replies | jump to latest

Man and woman have consensual no strings sex. Woman ends up pregnant. Woman gets to choose whether or not to keep the baby, no one would judge her if she chose an abortion from a hook up with a virtual stranger. Man has no choice and in order to look like a good person must potentially give up his whole life in order to accept his 'responsibility'.

Why is it that a woman gets this choice and a man gets no choice as to whether he wants a baby? Why should he and everyone around him have their lives tone apart because she made that decision? It happens so often and makes me really angry.

Opinions? FYI I am a woman (in case that has a bearing on how this post comes across)

[–] estocade 10 years ago

We give promises that we cannot keep. Me personally I do not believe in monogamy, especially while intoxicated.

[–] sidewind69-195-268787 10 years ago

society sobriety, love holds us back, gives us hope and shaters the dream
but its worth saving, i dont know why

[–] dullboy9000 10 years ago

I agree with you 100%. It really is infuriating.

[–] tyrexden 10 years ago

he wanted the baby to succeed. He told her to follow the doctor's orders regarding Cesarean.... He seemed releived when he heard it cry.

His job was to give it the best life he could.

[–] PacificHeights 10 years ago

His job was to give it the best life he could.

But that's the whole point of this thread. The two of them had consensual sex.

She had the following options:

abortion
adoption
leave baby at fire station, police station, hospital with no questions asked
keep the baby

He had the following options:

none

I think everyone is supportive of my body, my choice. The problem comes into play when it is her body, her choice, his wallet.

[–] dikayakoshka 10 years ago

I actually don't have a problem with the man having to take responsibility for the child if the woman wants to keep him/her. Sorry dude, no one forced you to have sex (I'm assuming that in this scenario), so if a child results, then you should care for it just as the woman should. You know where I do have an issue? When the woman doesn't want the child, but the man DOES! I think it's crap when a man has no say in whether or not this child should be brought into this world just because biology dictates that the woman is basically the incubator. Fricken' use birth control if you want to have sex but don't want to become pregnant. My feeling is 100% predicated on the condition that the sex was consensual BTW. In any other circumstance, all bets are off. Anyway, that's just my opinion.

[–] PacificHeights 10 years ago

no one forced you to have sex (I'm assuming that in this scenario), so if a child results, then you should care for it just as the woman should.

That is blatantly unfair and biased. No one forced him or her to have sex. But she is the only one with reproductive rights. That gives all of the benefits and priviledges to the mother and all of the responsibility to the father when he had no voice in the decision to keep the child or not.

[–] CombinationOfCharacters 10 years ago

Pacific, I don't come on here much, so thank you for being here to voice the exact responses I would want to have given, much more eloquently than i may have done :-)

[–] witchcatjuh 10 years ago

To be fair, part of the reason his life is going to be 'torn apart' isn't because Bethan is having a baby - it's because he cheated on his wife and actions have consequences.

If he'd been a single man, things would have been different. He could have decided, as he did now, to support the child financially and see it from time to time, and it probably wouldn't be much of a problem. I think the bigger issue here lies in the fact that he's having a child with someone even though he's married and has a family of his own.

The fact that he loses his job etc. is partially his own response to the situation. I'm not saying that it's necessarily a fair response on the company's part, but it is brought about by his own doing. Of course he's doing right by trying to support the woman and being there for the birth, but it [i]is/i] his choice, and he could have waited to go and see her until the job was finished.

So, I think the problem lies less with the fact that he is having a child with a stranger, but the fact that he is having a child out of wedlock.

[–] teddtlove 10 years ago

I kind of agree with the whole a man should not have to pay for a baby he doesn't want. Like before the baby is born he should be able to sign some kind of contract eight the mom saying I opt out of the baby's life and you take all responsibility since you want to keep it. However thee is tons of stigma on women who have abortion. Maybe you guys live in more progressive parts of the world like Europe or even the northern part of the US. But in many part of the US it is still considered very shameful to have an abortion. There a still picketers and people passing out literature. There are organizations disguising themselves as helping pregnant women make choices but really are trying to push adoption or anything other than abortion. There is definitely still stigma attached to it.

[–] Pequod88 10 years ago

"I kind of agree with the whole a man should not have to pay for a baby he doesn't want."

Yes, but then I left shallow, selfish thinking behind me and became a man. If the pleasure I take means a baby we make I must stand up and carry my share of the burden. A woman must have say over her body and the life that grows within. If you won't take your portion of responsibility than think twice about the wisdom of the coupling. Locke reveals the anguish that may come from shouldering a man's portion of responsibility, yet surely the burden of clinging to childish ways must be greater in the long run. While a woman should not be shamed into having a child she does not want, a man should not shame himself by pretending he has no responsibility to shoulder for the life he helped to create.

[–] CombinationOfCharacters 10 years ago

This is kind of interesting to hear. I live in the UK and I don't think there's any serious stigma, although obviously some people are against it. We hear about pickets outside clinics and that kind of thing, but I always assumed it was the serious wackos who did that kind of thing, not that it was representative of the area. Like westboro baptist church type stuff. Not trying to diss anywhere, it's just interesting to hear these kind of things. I'm glad I started a thread that on the whole, has started some interesting discussions :-)

[–] teddtlove 10 years ago

I live in the bible belt. Which means more churches than Starbucks or Walgreens and there is one of those on every corner. It is a very conservative area.

[–] lukn4frnz 10 years ago

If a guy doesn't want to impregnate a woman, it's not that difficult.

[–] lukn4frnz 10 years ago

"no one would judge her if she chose an abortion from a hook up with a virtual stranger"

What planet do you live on?!

While not everybody would judge her choice to have an abortion, there are lots of people who think abortion is wrong.

Do you live in a cave to not know that?

[–] pinkunderwear60 10 years ago

Heres the thing, and big problem.

First the Woman who give birth has to be operated and have scars for life, surcumsion is dangerous, but she is lonely and wants someone in her life, now she having a baby . Which is wonderful for her and can find a husband , grow a family. Enjoy life..

Locke does the right thing and I bet would have messed up.

Who is Katrina? She sounds nerotic and has problems as she obviosly raising the boys alone until Locke showed up. Still who knows if they been togather 10 years he has rights to see his children .

I know the issue was enormous but she sounds ( katrina ) like everyone around her is the issue, not her.

[–] terryperring104 10 years ago

Without sounding patronising, I have to say good for you for being 100% unsexist and just being on the side of whats 'right'.
I feel the same way about women getting paid less for the same job...its so unfair its ridiculous. Makes my blood boil. But, if I ever stick up for this on, Facebook or when socialising, people think I'm just trying to curry favour with the girls!