Nick: I believe Animal House perpetuates racist, sexist and homophobic ideas. The women in the film are shamelessly exploited and similar negative treatment is directly aimed at African Americans.

Mike: The stereotyping of all characters is blatantly intentional because the satire is the political point of the movie. Dean Wormer and the Omega fraternity used their status to gang up on the Delta fraternity. Meanwhile, the Deltas used their power to pressure their rushers and seduce their women, most notably Mrs. Dean Wormer.

Nick: Well then, what is the point of the scene in the Dexter Lane Club? (In this scene, the Deltas take their dates to an African-American nightclub and are muscled out by its patrons.)

Mike: The scene proves how white men are cowards when they are the minority in a setting. The joke falls on the Deltas when they're portrayed as weaklings.

Nick: Yes, but the scene also reinforces the stereotype that white men have to protect their women from black men, who will go after white women, violently if necessary.

Mike: I agree that the typecasting was taken too far, but I think it plays into the extreme end of the movie's satire. Don't you think everyone is "cast" into roles intentionally? Gullible freshmen? All white frat boys? Blonde "sorostitutes?"

Nick: Some people — like the frat boys — identify with the roles given to them in the film and cherish these roles. Others — like minorities and sororities — are negatively one-dimensional. You mention, "sorostitutes," I tallied up six females reduced to lingerie during the film, as well as six women topless.

Mike: First of all, female nudity is in just about every other movie out there. And second, I'd rather see stone cold stereotypes of both women and blacks than the conjured political correctness in movies today. My review of Snow Dogs highlights such annoyances.

Nick: OK Mike, back to Animal House. What was with the Confederate flag on the wall in Hoover's room in the Delta house? That wasn't a caricature or overblown stereotype for the purposes of comedy. That was one of several subtle messages in the film designed to forward its racist/sexist agenda.

Mike: The location of Faber College is never disclosed. Although I picked up on some southern accents in the movie, it doesn't matter for me. Even if it took place in a northern school, racism exists everywhere. Don't we see people in this very town with Confederate flag license plates on the front of their pick-ups? You said you saw several subtle messages, what other racist/sexist charges took form in the movie?

Nick: Two things immediately come to mind. One: in the parade at the end, a scantily-clad "bunny" girl rides a rabbit-shaped float, which seems to suggest a "playboy bunny." These suspicions are confirmed when a quick shot of the float reveals the written message, "When better women are made, Faber men will make them." Two: In the Dexter Lane Club, someone asks a white girl what her major is. Her reply: "Primitive cultures." Instantly, it cuts to Otis Day (the lead singer of the all-black band) so that the audience subconsciously links black culture with that which is "primitive."

Mike: I agree there is zero comedic value in that subliminal association. But that teaches us a lesson of how ignorant whites portrayed blacks in real life during 1962. Not everyone, unfortunately, supported the Civil Rights Movement.

Nick: Well, keep in mind, the film was made in 1978, not 1962. And it's really the filmmakers themselves, not the characters, who are reprehensible for their prejudices. I mean, we agree that there are some stereotypes which are taken too far, and which I believe are potentially quite damaging. So, what then is the value of watching this film, which has become such a cultural "icon" of college life?

Mike: There're people out there who don't watch a movie, they only see it — much like how people hear music instead of listening to it. These people will only see the surface value (comedy in this case) without investing much interest into the medium.

Nick: I would argue that whether viewers are aware of it or not, they are subconsciously receiving these hateful messages and that's where, I think, even more damage is done than would be if the film were more up-front in declaring its prejudices. For instance, going back to the parade sequence, something I found intriguing after watching the film closely involved the "togetherness" float, which featured the joining of a black and white hand, emphasizing the benefits of racial harmony. Because of the filmmakers' blatantly apparent racist ideology, this float was obviously doomed for destruction the moment it was conceived. Sure enough, Delta's interference with the parade (which, we the audience root for, since the Deltas are the film's protagonists) severs the float, resulting in a perfect split between the black and white hand. Once again, because Delta was responsible, the audience cheers this symbol of racial segregation.

Mike: Well, that's where we disagree because I think people will miss the message because they're not looking for it. That's satire for you though — jokes go over the heads of the people laughing at the movie while crushing a beer can over their head.