Eileen Rexroat: Gene's first wife

[Commishsleer]

Along the same lines, I'd be surprised if Roddenberry's promiscuity wasn't typical of Hollywood producers from the era in general. Lots of powerful men over the generations have seen themselves as entitled to sleep around and seduce women.

Its terrible to think that if women wanted to get roles in Hollywood they'd have to sleep around because there were men in power who made decisions on who to cast. And not just in Hollywood. My mother tells stories of girls who slept with the creepy old bosses (in retail) in the 60s to get ahead.

Thank goodness for sexual harrasment laws to give women a chance nowadays.

 

[Armored Saint]

Along the same lines, I'd be surprised if Roddenberry's promiscuity wasn't typical of Hollywood producers from the era in general. Lots of powerful men over the generations have seen themselves as entitled to sleep around and seduce women.

I supposed the attention's drawn on Roddenberry because he wasn't/isn't anomyous, at least for Star Trek fans, unlike most of Hollywood producer, AND because he tried to transpose his ideas about sexuality in later Star Trek stuff.

 

[EnriqueH]

Partly just general awareness of the era (I grew up in the '70s), but also in a book I found in the course of a TrekBBS thread a couple of years ago:

Wow, that's a first. I've never heard that it was ok for men to rape women, even back then.

Certainly I've heard that women could be intimidated into keeping silent, (even today), but that it was seen as no big thing?

What book was this?

 

[Stevil2001]

It was just one of several ways in which Gene had some great ideals about how much better humanity will be in the future, but was regrettably unable to live up to those ideals within himself. By some accounts he lived quite the life of vice, actually...

Well, it depends on what you mean by "better," of course. H. G. Wells also hoped humanity would be better in the future, and one aspect of that betterness what being able to sleep with any woman you wanted without social or financial repercussions.

 

[Commishsleer]

Partly just general awareness of the era (I grew up in the '70s), but also in a book I found in the course of a TrekBBS thread a couple of years ago:

Wow, that's a first. I've never heard that it was ok for men to rape women, even back then.

Certainly I've heard that women could be intimidated into keeping silent, (even today), but that it was seen as no big thing?

What book was this?

While I don't agree that rape was never 'no big thing', in marriage maybe (perhaps) it wasn't considered that bad.

Was it Hitchcocks 'Marnie' where Shaun Connery 'raped' the women he blackmailed into being his wife? She was so traumatised over this and admittedly lots of other things that she tried to commit suicide. Yet the Connery character was not considered evil. He was doing it for Marnie's own good.

I think people now realise that its not good to give this sort of behaviour either legal or moral or badassery approval.

 

[Nebusj]

Wow, that's a first. I've never heard that it was ok for men to rape women, even back then.

Certainly I've heard that women could be intimidated into keeping silent, (even today), but that it was seen as no big thing?

Joke from an early episode of M*A*S*H that its writer/creator, Larry Gelbart, regretted writing:

Trapper John: I've never been to a rape.
Hawkeye: Maybe for your next birthday.

This is just to remind you: if you were not a white male, living in Western Civilization before about 1984 was incredibly sucky.

(See also: Tess of the d'Urbervilles, though it may not be possible to despise Alec enough.)

 

[Stevil2001]

(Well, to be fair, the whole point of Tess is that Alec is an utter shithead and that society employs and enormous an awful double standard.)

 

[Green Shirt]

I forgot, do the quotation marks at the end of a sentence come before or after the period?

In American usage, the period is inside the quotes, but I think it's outside in British usage. Which makes more sense to me, since the period often isn't part of what's being quoted.

I think this is correct.

But it's called a full stop, not a period.

So that's why people say "stop" at the end of each sentence when dictating a telegram?

 

[Christopher]

Wow, that's a first. I've never heard that it was ok for men to rape women, even back then.

It wasn't that it was considered okay, just that it wasn't understood just how deeply traumatizing it was to the victims, and was seen more as an act of sexual desire running out of control than an act of psychological brutality. It was seen as a crime, but not as profound a crime as we now understand it to be.

Sadly, even today, there are plenty of young men in college and sports teams and elsewhere who do believe it's okay to rape women, that they're entitled to use drugs or alcohol to render women helpless and take what they want, and that they'll earn the approval of their friends if they do so. It's "only" about ten percent of the male student population, but it's a pervasive and widespread culture.

What book was this?

Why do you need to ask that when the link is already included in my last post?

 

[Nerys Myk]

She is kind of the big missing gap in the Star Trek mythos, under California law she owned half of Gene Roddenberry's finacial interest in Trek.

Ive looked for old interviews of her for years, but to no avail. She might have had some interesting insights into the original creation of the pilots and the series.

If she's still alive, she'd be in her eighties.

Was there any indication she contributed to the development of Star Trek? Or that Gene used her as a sounding board? Some creative types use their spouse/partner in that way or they're involved in other aspects of the process. From what I can tell Gene kept his work at work. (take that as you will)

 

[Green Shirt]

Joke from an early episode of M*A*S*H that its writer/creator, Larry Gelbart, regretted writing:

Trapper John: I've never been to a rape.
Hawkeye: Maybe for your next birthday.

Only an early season Hawkeye (like Spock's comment to Rand) would say that. I can't imagine a later season Alan Alda considering saying such a line.

 

[BobtheGunslinge]

"I won't drop a 70 lb. package on your fragile piece of Priority Mail if you give me 5 minutes worth".

I have to know--what does this refer to?

 

[Green Shirt]

"I won't drop a 70 lb. package on your fragile piece of Priority Mail if you give me 5 minutes worth".

I have to know--what does this refer to?

In an alternate reality, (being a postal worker) this would be my version of the casting couch.

 

[EnriqueH]

Wow, that's a first. I've never heard that it was ok for men to rape women, even back then.

It wasn't that it was considered okay, just that it wasn't understood just how deeply traumatizing it was to the victims, and was seen more as an act of sexual desire running out of control than an act of psychological brutality. It was seen as a crime, but not as profound a crime as we now understand it to be.

Sadly, even today, there are plenty of young men in college and sports teams and elsewhere who do believe it's okay to rape women, that they're entitled to use drugs or alcohol to render women helpless and take what they want, and that they'll earn the approval of their friends if they do so. It's "only" about ten percent of the male student population, but it's a pervasive and widespread culture.

Wow, 10%? That's crazy. Just curious, where does that percentage come from? Was it a study done by a particular organization?

Why do you need to ask that when the link is already included in my last post?

Ah, I double checked and saw it this time. Earlier today, I was on the website using my phone, which was having some loading problems and so I missed portions of the page.

 

[Kevman7987]

Hmm. Relating to the original post; I wonder if "Rod" Roddenberry ever wanted anything to do with his half-sisters?

 

[Stevil2001]

I read about it in Time a couple months ago, though the article is limited to a preview on-line: http://time.com/100542/the-sexual-assault-crisis-on-american-campuses/

It was interesting-- describing how asking men if they rape (even in anonymous situations) usually gets you a denial, but if you just describe a certain behavior that is rape and ask me if they do it, they will admit to it because they don't see a problem. As a result, rape prevention programs at colleges are starting to shift from telling men not to rape to focus on how that 90% can divert the intentions of the 10%. (Or whatever the exact percentage is; I feel like it was lower than 10%.)

 

[Christopher]

The exact percentage doesn't matter; as long as it's above zero, it's too much.

 

[EnriqueH]

I agree, any is too much, but I'm still curious where got your facts and figures from.

 

[Christopher]

Look, this isn't a dissertation, it's a casual conversation, okay? I don't come to a casual conversation prepared to make detailed citations. If you're so curious, I'm sure you're capable of using Google on your own.

 

[EnriqueH]

Look, this isn't a dissertation, it's a casual conversation, okay? I don't come to a casual conversation prepared to make detailed citations. If you're so curious, I'm sure you're capable of using Google on your own.

I'm a little taken aback by your defensive answer.

It's casual conversation, but you're throwing a lot of "facts" around in this "casual conversation" and as part of the "casual conversation" I was curious where you got your information.

I don't think that's unreasonable and thought it was an organic part of the conversation.

Further, I haven't been in this board long, but notice you're prone to picking apart a person's post and dissecting things into quotes and addressing every one of those points. So is it "casual conversation" or is it something further when you decide it is? You preach one thing, but you also seem to be practicing another.

Anyway, it's not that big a deal. But there's no need to be rude about it.