The Scoop On Scoop!

Me and Komali wrote this post together, the original being on her blog.

• Scoop is not the antagonist; he is a foil to Heidi’s character. They are similar in some regards, but very different in others. At Scoop’s wedding, he tells Heidi:Scoop: “But I couldn’t dangle you anymore. And that’s why I got married today. So.” Heidi: “So. So now it’s all my fault.”
  Scoop: “Sure it is. You want other things in life than I do.”
  Heidi: “Really, like what?”
  Scoop: “Self-fulfillment. Self determination. Self-exaggeration.”
  Heidi: “That’s exactly what you want.”
  Scoop: “Right. Then you’d be competing with me.”
  They have similar interests, but Heidi does not want to compete with Scoop.
• I think Wasserstein agrees with the concept of feminism, but does not agree with the hypocritical approach most women take in order to combat inequality of the sexes, which is by portraying men as evil or chauvinistic. Scoop is thoroughly an intellectual and often highlights Heidi’s ignorance and lack of awareness about herself or her surroundings. For example, in the scene where the two meet, Heidi is drawn to Scoop, but he is acting superior, so she chooses to play a game with him by lying about her name and why she is at the McCarthy convention. When Heidi says that she finds Scoop irritating, he says, “That’s the first honest thing you’ve said all night!” Even then, Heidi doesn’t realize what he means- he knows her name isn’t Susan because she is wearing a name tag that says “Heidi,” which Heidi has conveniently forgotten about.
• Scoop also says, “You are too eager to categorize.” This shows how others interpret feminists, who don’t consider the fact that people are multi-faceted. They believe all men are evil and chauvinistic, but in reality, they can have other sides to them- kinder personalities. Scoop’s way of speaking, from the beginning, shows his maturity, whereas feminists can come across as somewhat childlike. At Scoop’s wedding, he speaks about “life choices” and Heidi says, “I have not made them yet.” Like children, feminists at that time wanted to own everything, they felt that was the way to establish their strength. Wasserstein believes that is excessive and that they should grasp more “adult” ideas.
• I think the biggest message Scoop is used to convey is that men will settle, but feminist women always want more; they cannot be satisfied. They pass the limit and their argument for equality becomes invalid because they have already achieved it. Scoop is “willing to settle for a secure six” when he marries Lisa, but Heidi never marries because she refuses to accept anyone less than a perfect 10.

• What techniques does Wasserstein use to convey this message? Dialogue

“I don’t want women ever to think they have to have it all. I think that’s a revolting concept. It’s so false! Sometimes you’ll have some things, and sometimes you’ll have other things. And you do not need it all at once; it’s not good for you.” -Emma Thompson