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03-08-2006, 08:03 AM
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#1 of 48 
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Evolution in Depiction of Men /Women/Children in Popular Culture
I'm wondering if anyone else around my age(46yrs) has noticed the complete devolution of the American Male as depicted on TV, and in commercials.
Every sitcom depicts men as bumbling idiots that need to be saved by their wives and/or worse, their sniveling, too smart for their own good children. 'Father Knows Best' would be re-titled 'Father Knows Nothing-Good Thing The Wife and Children Are Around'.
Commercials routinely depict the bumbling/idiotic male being rescued by either his girlfriend, wife, or children.
Snarky female voice-overs are the norm.
Is this just payback for 'I Love Lucy', and every other show that depicted women in a less than brilliant light, or is it an actual depiction of current life?
Your thoughts please...
Napoleon, don\'t be jealous that I\'ve been chatting online with babes all day. Besides, we both know that I\'m training to be a cage fighter.
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03-08-2006, 08:10 AM
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#2 of 48
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Nope, not going to go there (and I'm single  ). |
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03-08-2006, 08:47 AM
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#3 of 48
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We just go down to the Malt Shop and my wife calmly fixes the problem.
¡Time is not my master!
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03-08-2006, 09:08 AM
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#4 of 48
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Quote:
| We just go down to the Malt Shop and my wife calmly fixes the problem. |
I'll deduce from the above post that you think I am pining for the 50's to make a comeback. Not at all. I was born in 1960, so I have no recollection of the 50's(other than 50's sitcoms).
I'm just wondering if anyone else has noticed the pendulum has completely swung the other way.
Even when we put women on the same intellectual level as men, which they are, the whole brainiac child thing is still very apparent to me. I guess I don't fall into the 'we have so much to learn from the children' school of thought.
Napoleon, don\'t be jealous that I\'ve been chatting online with babes all day. Besides, we both know that I\'m training to be a cage fighter.
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03-08-2006, 09:09 AM
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#5 of 48
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James,
I've noticed something similar, always in commercials as well. I wouldn't call it a devolution, and it has no societal impact, so it's not really that important. But any ad (or sitcom) featuring a battle of the sexes will usually end with the women on top.
But as a white male, I am not about to decry how the media presents me 
It's irrelevant. Doesn't mean your observation is incorrect |
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03-08-2006, 09:22 AM
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#6 of 48
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Just think of the uproar if we had sitcoms and commercials that depicted bumbling women.
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03-08-2006, 09:44 AM
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#7 of 48
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Quote:
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I'm just wondering if anyone else has noticed the pendulum has completely swung the other way.
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I certainly have. It is typical of any social revolution. Eventually it will even out. Meanwhile, for those caught in these transitory periods, it sucks. It certainly feels like you're paying for the sins of your forefathers. I tend to see it as a necessary, inevitable and hopefully temporary evil consequence of major social changes.
Non-custodial father here, I completely disagree. I see this phenomenon as just a one facet of a larger phenomenon which has had very direct, negative consequences on my life. The constant portrayal of guys as clueless, irresponsible dufuses does nothing for my chances in an already biased system.
--
H
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03-08-2006, 09:56 AM
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#8 of 48
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I haven't noticed much regarding men vs. women, but what annoys me lately is seeing commercials with wise-ass children and teenagers pestering their parents for expensive gadgets and the parents always caving in to their demands with pathetic, defeated expressions on their faces. My fiancee and I have decided that whenever we have kids, if they want a cell phone or car they can get a job and buy it themselves  |
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03-08-2006, 10:24 AM
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#9 of 48
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Interesting.... I'll ask the wife what she thinks about it tonight and get back to you.
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03-08-2006, 10:36 AM
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#10 of 48
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Well, CBS comes to mind first for having sitcoms with the bumbling husband but examples can be found aplenty on other networks now that I think more about it.
Regarding the brainiac child scenario, I remember my dad being so disgusted with Ferris Bueller's Day Off. I still think he was overreacting but I can kind of see his point now. Funny thing is we made him watch it so many times that he pulls out a reference every once in awhile.
Anyone who isn't confused really doesn't understand the situation. - Edward R. Murrow
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