To feel shocked about this on a comedy programme?

[girlfriend44]

Regarding Butterflies the comedy series written by Carla Lane in the late 70s.

It's on I player at the moment. I watched an episode and she was talking to herself loudly about being bored, and feeling taken for granted in her marriage
She expressed quite loudly that she wanted to be raped.

Should a woman ever write that into a script or was it more acceptable to say that back then?
I cannot imagine it in a script today.

It was never ok. Even in the 70s.

It's supposed to be shocking. It's not supposed to be normal. That was why Carla Lane wrote it. It was shocking at the time, to the character and that's how it's depicted.

This reminds me of the current conversation about 'problematic' Ross in Friends. Wise new generations have realised that he was controlling, selfish, jealous and petty - as if it is only had in hindsight we know this and that in the 90s we would just think of him as a perfect romantic comedy lead. Watch Friends and it's pointed out again and again by all the other characters that his behaviour towards Rachel is awful and unacceptable. It's in the text people! (As Ross would say).

I think it's some kind of unconscious ageism and nostalgia. That TV writers and consumers of previous generations were somehow less complex, unaware and sensitive than fully rounded, sophisticated new audiences like us. They wouldn't have realised that it's bad taste to make jokes about rape, the primitive old fools. But NOW we know better.

Butterflies was funny but sad in many ways , the 2 sons were vile , treating there mother as a servant and dad as the cash machine ,