Panic! At The Disco just released their music video for "Don't Threaten Me With A Good Time" on May 10, and fans are feeling a combination of confusion, lust, concern, and disappointment that the lead singer Brendon Urie didn't choose to wear heels, after bringing up the idea in an interview with Adorama Live. On the surface, this music video gives a sci-fi twist on the average "let's go party at a bar" music videos that are all too common. But, upon further inspection, it's apparent that a party and an alien attack aren't all that happened during the night of Urie's trip to the bar. The "Don't Threaten Me With A Good Time" music video shows an instance of male rape and legitimizes some of the feelings that may occur after a male goes through unwanted or nonconsensual sexual contact. You can watch the video here.
The video starts off with a female's first-person point of view of coming to a bar, sitting down, getting a drink, and being greeted by the overly confident Brendon Urie. He gets handsy with her and she slaps him, putting him in his place. At the beginning of the video we see that Urie is clearly drunk, and he makes sexual passes at this female because of it. However, she continues to dance with Urie who is clearly trying got seduce her (a little sloppily, if I might add).
Now, if you've ever been in the situation where a drunk person is trying to seduce you, as a good person, you probably knew it wasn't a good idea to let them continue to make moves on you. You probably told them to stop, mostly because they were unaware of what they were doing. This female, however, did not discourage him from drinking more, nor did she discourage him from touching her anymore. She was aware that he was vulnerable and willing.
As the second verse starts, Urie is surprised when he sees a tentacle coming from his dancing queen. Whether it's the champagne cocaine gasoline taking effect on his brain, symbolism for unwanted sexual contact, or just a plain alien tentacle, Urie isn't having it. He tries to leave the bar but the female convinces him to drink more, soothing him along the way as he visibly gets more and more inebriated. Eventually, he cannot control himself anymore, and the female guides him back to her place. Urie can barely stand, but the female still undresses him. He is obviously not able to consent at this point. The female pushes him to the ground and corners him. Is this fun foreplay? Or is this controlling? The chorus builds and the female throws her bra at Urie who is on the ground, only in his underwear. The shadow of the woman standing over Urie turns into a monster, who wants to do more than Urie does, and he is clearly rejecting any kind of contact.
He begins to run away as the female monster follows him, and he does his best to fight her off. The monster carries him into the bedroom and then stabs him. He is then thrown onto the concrete, injured and alone. This could be the actual instance of the rape that happened to Urie. He could be using the monster as a metaphor for the actual monster of a person who took advantage of him. As he lies on the concrete alone, we know how a victim could possibly feel after an incident.
(This could also just be all for some fun science fiction).
The next morning, the monster wakes up in the bed. This could either be the monster who killed Urie, only to transform into his human form after it killed him, or it could be Urie himself who had transformed into a monster. Either way, the monster is hungover and dresses itself in Urie's clothes. It walks into the bathroom, looking like Urie, who has to learn how to shift between being the monster and being a man. This could show how after being raped, a person always feels like they have a part of their rapist with them. Urie looks in the mirror and puts on some makeup, possibly showing how masculinity can be lost after an event like this.
Urie gets a taxi to take him to the same bar, and he has to check his hands to make sure that they are human, not part monster. This shows how victims may not feel like they are connected to their body after being raped. He meets a new woman and doesn't come on too strong to her. At the end of the video, they end up dancing, and she screams when she sees one of his tentacles, which he's been hiding. This may be how a victim may feel when they let someone know about their rape - they feel like they are alienated like no one wants to be with them, like they are unwanted, and they are hard to be around. This prevents so many people from letting their experience be known.
Whether or not this music video is actually about male rape, it should be evident that no matter if you're male, female, or alien, a drunk person is NOT a person who can consent. As you go out and party to celebrate the end of the school year, remember that these events can happen to anyone, female or male. Being a victim of rape can make a person feel like they have no worth - it is our duty to make sure that we let them know that they are worthy and that they are loved. If you see a person acting strange toward your friend (or even someone you don't know) in a bar, intervene. If a person lets you know that they have been assaulted, support them in the decisions they make, whether it be to report the crime or not. Watch your drinks in public places. Stick with a group of friends for the whole night and make sure you know where someone is at all times.
Let's start raising awareness of male sexual assault, because this is a universal problem. YOU can be a friend to someone who needs you. YOU can help stop sexual assault.
