But how is Damon not a rapist? o_O He did to Caroline and to Andie exactly what Katherine did to Stefan, compelled them not to be afraid of him (and Caroline was so terrified she was trying to run away). He removed their ability to consent. It's a supernatural equivalent of having sex with someone who was roofied, so it can't even count as dubious consent. In both cases the first time was consensual, but after that? Sex + mind control = rape.
I think, btw, that these aspect of her personality have always been there.
Oh, definitely, she always had the potential. She was just choosing not to be that person, and her choices are just as important as her natural predispositions. I agree that Elena is not sweet and innocent; she's much more complex than that!
I agree that D/E is mutually abusive, although I'm wondering if it even makes sense to keep score as to who harms whom more. The disproportion in physical strength is just too big; how would Elena match the fact that Damon force-fed her his blood? Of course now that Elena is a vampire things will change.
Let's say that since it's a supernatural thing I don't judge it from a human point of view and yes they were compelled not to be afraid, which is different from compelling someone to have sex..anyway this is complicated and I am not even sure I am able to explain why for me it's not rape or maybe not a big issue in the show.
We agree on Elena though. She is interesting because she is complex and I can't wait to see how she will handle her new life.
It doesn't make sense to keep the score. I was just thinking about it. It's something that fascinates me how relationships, even the healthy ones, can be abusive sometimes. In Damon/Elena relatiosnhip I am not sure that physical abuse is worse or have a less impact on them than the mental one. Some people say that Stefan is mentally manipulative and I think he is sometimes, like Elena is and this kind of abuse for me is serious as the physical one, when the latter does't become too violent. Damon deprived Elena of her free will when he forced her to drink his blood, Elena did the same when she asked Stefan to break Damon's neck in 3.14.
So for methis show is basically about free will/choice and the lack of them. This dynamic is going to change with Elena as a vampire.
Huh, wheatear explains the issue of rape much better than I ever could: here.
In Damon/Elena relatiosnhip I am not sure that physical abuse is worse or have a less impact on them than the mental one.
The thing is that, while you can have mental abuse with nothing physical going on, it's hard for me to think of physical abuse without mental aspect. Also, there's the question of consequences. Damon intended to turn Elena into a vampire, so what he did was supposed to change her entire life. Elena having Damon's neck broken affected him for half an hour, no permanent damage was done. So, as much as you don't have to convince me that Elena is morally dubious, I don't think those situations are comparable. Damon is a terrible person. Elena is a terrible person. Damon is a supernatural being with powers she can't dream of. Those powers usually don't come into play; D/E is a surprisingly human relationship, and they have a very interesting balance of power. When the supernatural does come into play however, it's Damon who does the harm, because she physically has NO WAY of doing it. That's why I said that for me it makes no sense to keep score. On a mental level, they just keep pushing each other all the time, in various ways; it's fascinating to describe. Physically, the imbalance of power is so huge and obvious that it makes no sense to discuss it.
I think, btw, that these aspect of her personality have always been there.
Oh, definitely, she always had the potential. She was just choosing not to be that person, and her choices are just as important as her natural predispositions. I agree that Elena is not sweet and innocent; she's much more complex than that!
I agree that D/E is mutually abusive, although I'm wondering if it even makes sense to keep score as to who harms whom more. The disproportion in physical strength is just too big; how would Elena match the fact that Damon force-fed her his blood? Of course now that Elena is a vampire things will change.
Reply
We agree on Elena though. She is interesting because she is complex and I can't wait to see how she will handle her new life.
It doesn't make sense to keep the score. I was just thinking about it. It's something that fascinates me how relationships, even the healthy ones, can be abusive sometimes. In Damon/Elena relatiosnhip I am not sure that physical abuse is worse or have a less impact on them than the mental one. Some people say that Stefan is mentally manipulative and I think he is sometimes, like Elena is and this kind of abuse for me is serious as the physical one, when the latter does't become too violent. Damon deprived Elena of her free will when he forced her to drink his blood, Elena did the same when she asked Stefan to break Damon's neck in 3.14.
So for methis show is basically about free will/choice and the lack of them. This dynamic is going to change with Elena as a vampire.
Reply
In Damon/Elena relatiosnhip I am not sure that physical abuse is worse or have a less impact on them than the mental one.
The thing is that, while you can have mental abuse with nothing physical going on, it's hard for me to think of physical abuse without mental aspect. Also, there's the question of consequences. Damon intended to turn Elena into a vampire, so what he did was supposed to change her entire life. Elena having Damon's neck broken affected him for half an hour, no permanent damage was done. So, as much as you don't have to convince me that Elena is morally dubious, I don't think those situations are comparable. Damon is a terrible person. Elena is a terrible person. Damon is a supernatural being with powers she can't dream of. Those powers usually don't come into play; D/E is a surprisingly human relationship, and they have a very interesting balance of power. When the supernatural does come into play however, it's Damon who does the harm, because she physically has NO WAY of doing it. That's why I said that for me it makes no sense to keep score. On a mental level, they just keep pushing each other all the time, in various ways; it's fascinating to describe. Physically, the imbalance of power is so huge and obvious that it makes no sense to discuss it.
Reply
Leave a comment