The idea that dancing has been forbidden in this movie may seem sort of silly to many people rating the film. Of course we have that in Iran today but for most people I think it's hard to access what the conservatives are thinking.
Were there in 1984 any places that really banned dancing in the USA? How about today?
Check out IMDb's Footloose trivia section - it says the movie's loosely based on a couple of instances of banned dancing, though not specific to 1984. The early 80's was when the religious right was becoming politically active and influential, and since all politics are local, they caused several instances like Footloose, all out of fear. Pretty silly, huh?
Best Trek Captain: Benjamin Sisko - he saved Kirk from a tribble!
The plot of the 1984 movie, Footloose, is loosely based on events in Elmore City, Oklahoma since dancing was banned for almost 100 years in this city. This ban was lifted in 1980. In 1980, the graduating class made history by getting permission to dance at the prom. Various citizens were featured on an anniversary edition of the Footloose DVD, recounting the events that led to the change in city code that allowed students at Elmore City High School to hold their first prom.
This from wiki. You'd be surprised. I was only born in '84 and I got kicked out of public high school for a year and had to go to a religious school where I remember them burning Pokemon cards very similar to the manner in which books were burnt in the film. The principal at the school knew I didn't play the cards so I sort of did the speech from the film about the devil not being in these things but in US! I remember her laughing because I told her it was a reference to Footloose and she could take that but you'd be surprised how freaked people get over these things at times. As the years go by Footloose seems even more and more dated but will always be a great testament to the teenage spirit and my only worry is that kids with each passing generation will ignore it because of it's age and it's premise. I was born the year this film came out so if I can still enjoy and relate to it I think others can.
"I've seen things in this city that make Dante's Inferno read like Winnie The Pooh."
I too am 84' born, on halloween none the less!
and I just saw this film, really liked it, and i know of the draconian policies that can happen in small societies, or in school or college
in my school it's (and still is) forbidden to talk or sit close to a girl!
hence growing up we were taught that girls are something to be feared and same goes for them, consequently all of us from such school grew up to be introverted and only became okie once we went to some other college!
imagine that!
so the premise of this film is not so far fetched...
"Everybody knows you never go full retard" - Kirk Lazarus
Were there in 1984 any places that really banned dancing in the USA? How about today?
Thank you to you and everyone for answering my question! :)
Johnny Monsarrat Consulting. All content by Jon Monsarrat!
There are still a few more institutions today that also ban dancing a rock music. most of them are in Baptist christian communities if not all.
another college the previous poster didn't mention was Bob Jones University. You can get up to 50 to 75 demerits for Dancing and listening to Rock Music There.
and you will eventually be kicked out if you continue to do so under the radar and are continuously caught.
And the religious right complain about sharia?! They should look themselves in the mirror. Don't say it isn't the same. Trying to ban abortion(or at least make it harder so the supreme court don't struck it down), banning or making it harder to teach evolution(intelligent design), etc. Look in the mirror Moral Majority.
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They sure are.
With the world overpopulated. *beep* yank consevatives want to stop abortion then not help women with all these unwanted kids..
A modern powerful nation in the hands of religous fanatics.... scarey thought.
Eat the Neocons.
No argument here, tich1030, but the religious right will never do that. That's because, in their minds, they are simply trying to spread the "word of God" and make everyone else "see the light," whereas people from other countries (read: Muslims) are just crazy, murderous fanatics. It all boils down to the fact that they refuse to see just how much they are like their foreign counterparts. They have a truly twisted, racist worldview.
shareIt's currently banned INSIDE THE JEFFERSON MEMORIAL in Washington, DC:
http://www.boingboing.net/2011/05/28/body-slammed-and-cho.html
I don't know about 1984, but we're talking about a movie set in Texas. The Baptist Church, which actually has a by-law forbidding dancing of any kind (or did at one time), has a strong foothold in the state, so I wouldn't be too surprised if, during this time, there were towns in Texas that forbid dancing.
shareHi Katya,
Thank you for taking the time to answer my question from 2009! :)
-Johnny
Johnny Monsarrat Consulting. All content by Jon Monsarrat!
cant sit or talk to girls in high school! what the crap. thats insane lol i use to be friends with people that their faith said you should not drink booze, and yet i often said Jesus drank wine, they said it was fermented grapes, i said what the hell is wine then. shortly after that i was not longer friends with them lol ah crazy people
I KNOW 2 things that are clear.I'm a great sinner,Christ is a great Savior.
Actually, the movie never specified a US State.
Just as well, since I did NOT AT ALL appreciate Christianity being the main villain of the film.
I grew up in a very small Texas town. Our principal, school board members, and most of our teachers were all Church of Christ, who are against dancing. I graduated in 1986 and we were not allowed to have a prom. My senior class (all 34 of us, lol) tried to put together a prom with dancing and were pretty much told if we did, then we would not be able to walk across the stage to get our diplomas. After the city folks starting moving out to our little town, things finally changed. We have been having proms for a little less than 10 years.
shareIt's actually STILL banned in my town, unless the people putting on the dance get a permit. Even the high schools have to get this permit just so they can host prom and homecoming dances.
What you /f/e/e/l/ is what you are; and what you are is {b.e.a.u.t.i.f.u.l.}<3
I grew up in Springfield, Ohio during the 50's and 60's. near my home was a small village calle Cedarville. Dancing was forbidden there at that time. It may still be but I live in Florida now so I don't know for certain. The dance ban didn't really mean much however. People who wished to dance simply came to Springfield and danced there.
Against stupidity the gods themselves contend in vain (Isaac Asimov)
Thank you to you and everyone else who answered my question! :)
Johnny Monsarrat Consulting. All content by Jon Monsarrat!
although Americans, and our history books, like to pretend we are above it all, America really does have a lot of backward people who do all they can to impose their sick, perversions of Christ's teachings upon everyone, and dancing bans are just part of their douchebaggery
Who cares about stairs? The main thing is ice cream.
Man, you hadn't seen nothin' yet 10 years ago! These mouth breathers would go on to vote for Trump and drag the rest of us down along with them. Votes should be weighted according to IQ points so that the dumb among us--and they're ALL around us--can't hijack the entire country.
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