Page 31 - issue 29 En

ELITE ISSUE 29, MARCH 2021

Another example of a toxic relationship hits closer to
home. In the 2007 Egyptian movie titled "Morgan Ahmed
Morgan," Adel Emam plays the role of Morgan, a
billionaire who attempts to graduate from university 40
years after he graduated from school. From the get-go, we
understand that he is a man who believes money can buy
anything: he bribes tax collectors, the president of the
university, and "purchases" friendships. His personality is
not the best either, as the audience finds him ogling his
children's college children's college professor, Gihanne,
making inappropriate remarks about her, and grabbing her Instead, he keeps trying to please her by trying to make
without her consent. He gets whatever he wants in life up for the loss. For example, he starts a candle selling
through bribery and manipulation until he snaps out of it business which begins to succeed, but all she does is
when he slaps his daughter. He tries to become a better shame him for his interests and put him down every
person, earns his degree (which he mostly bought moment she can. She makes fun of him in front of her
anyways), and proposes to Gihanne, who says yes. While customers and friends. Of course, this is all sweetly
this is meant to be a comedy movie, none of this is funny packaged as “a funny, fed-up wife,” but this is a sad
in reality. Gihanne completely forgets that this man did not situation. If a woman were in his situation, the audience
have any good intentions towards her from the beginning would get pretty upset because she would be a
of the movie; she even ignores the fact that he bought off “defenseless female,” but it doesn’t make sense for the
her ex-fiance. Why? To her, she must've thought that he situation to be funny just because he’s a man. The
"changed" to a better person. The truth of the matter is that resolution? Well, she never apologizes to him, and he
even though someone may fall in love with the times when never expresses his pain, so it's easier for the audience to
their toxic partner was pleasant, abusive behavior does not brush off her behavior. People who had to go through
change after they officially become a couple like people in physical, emotional, or other forms of abuse know just
these TV shows and movies do. So far, we have only how conflicted this man might have felt. More
spoken about toxic male characters, but we cannot forget importantly, we should never excuse his wife’s behavior
the common, but often overlooked toxic female characters. simply because she was exasperated with the constant

trouble he kept causing.

These scenarios are just the tip of the iceberg. If we dive
even deeper, where it’s cold and dark, the forms of toxic
behavior can even reach the extent of sexual assault,
rape, kidnapping, and even killing or hurting the people
around the protagonist. Whatever the situation is, the
main lead often brushes over these behaviors and,
actually, falls in love when he/she learns about their
partner’s sad background or terrible excuses. It is never
romantic when a partner becomes violent because of
his/her jealousy. It is never funny when people
manipulate or put down their partners just to get what
In a recent Korean drama called True Beauty, the parents they want. All of these characters, portrayed by beautiful
of the main character have some struggles in their actors and actresses, are what make these behaviors
relationship as most married couples do. The husband fails easier to digest – especially for teenagers. The problem
to manage his finances and loses all of their money in a of romanticizing toxic relationships is often overlooked,
scam. Now, we can understand how frustrated the wife mainly because these shows are works of fiction, and it
might be, especially since the husband doesn’t attempt to would be wrong to stop authors from creating whatever
fix the situation at first. What we don’t expect is that, they want. Nonetheless, we shoulder the responsibility
under the guise of comedy, the wife becomes violent. The to raise awareness and teach those around us that these
man does not try to defend himself as he also feels guilty.
behaviors can have deadly consequences.
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