Commercial Rant!
I have noticed lately a disturbing pattern. For those of us that watch television, you may have noticed the following commercial; it's for Subway sandwiches. I guess it's supposed to be funny, but I don't think so.
More and more often of late I see that men; particularly husbands and fathers, are portrayed as, well, idiots on the general media. It's more common to see a man shown throwing a tantrum, being emasculated by his wife or ignored by his children than it is to see a strong man as a role model and a leader. The general theme any more in television sit-com's seems to assume a stupid underachieving man who is lucky to have a smart goal oriented woman that can keep him in line and keep him from ruining there life and arguing with their children over the last doughnut.
I like to use my kids as my sounding board without really telling them I am. Tonight we saw this commercial on TV while setting up a movie for them and they laughed at the same time as I said I hate that commercial. They said "Why? It's funny." I said, "Do you think so? It seems like the Dad is acting worse than a kid."; "No, Dad, he's just throwing a fit because he really wants something.","Oh...I see...."
I'll tell you what I see. I see a consistent message that can only serve to lessen kids respect for their parents. How are children supposed to learn not to throw tantrums when the Dads are doing it for sandwiches? How are young boys supposed to learn how to be leaders and fathers when all the images they are pelted with show them as fools? Maybe I'm taking this too seriously, maybe not serious enough. Either way, this is another reason to make sure we are on top of what are kids are watching. And another compelling reason to make sure that we, as fathers, provide them the role models that they need. Show them strength and tenderness, leadership and compromise, discipline and great love. Be their friend but not their peer. We only have one shot, and the world sometimes seems like it's against us.
I'm curious, what's you opinions of my rants? I have an strong opinion on a lot of things. Should I share them more often? Or perhaps you as the reader are really not interested.
Hope you are all well... till later.
P~
7 comments:
So far, I've enjoyed, and agreed with all of your recent rants!! :) We don't watch musc tv, and when we do it's mostly PBS, so I've never seen the commercials and sitcoms you mentioned, but it does sound like a problem to me. I certainly wouldn't want my son to think that that is an appropriate way to treat his father, or way to act as an adult man.
I've noticed this for a long time too and it's really bothered me.
ok, this will get me hate mail. Part of the problem is the feminization of our boys. Boys do not act like girls, yet I see people daily pushing female behavior onto them. People act as though something is terribly wrong when there boy dosen't show the same level of empathy as a girl does. Male bashing is a popular pass time. It saddens me, and worries me about how my boys will be treated in the future. I am raising them tradionally boy. Kind of sad that I feel a need to say that. But this doesn't imply that I am making them hard core unemotional jerks. My husband is loving and tender, but doesn't throw hissy fits when he doesn't get his own way. I truely hope my boys turn out to be like their father.
We don't have a television so that may influence what I seein my own home, but I have to say, i don't think most children use tv actors as their role models. I think you, as a dad, set the tone for what a dad really is.
Watching Clarence Day in Life with Father (a 1930's play in which both the father and mother were fools) in no way affected my view of my own parents. Why? Bc. my parents demonstrated mature, sensible behavior and excellent parenting EVERY DAY in our home. That behavior on their part formed my idea of parents/parenting. Not what was obviously an exaggeration for humor and effect.
Give your kids some credit. They can differentiate between a real parent (you) and a pretend parent behaving badly.
Glad to hear from you all. We limit our kids television, we're not obssesive about it, but we certainly do limit and monitor it. I'm not necessarily concerned for my home; I think I set a fairly good example. Tory, I agree that parent's are responsible for setting the tone for how they picture fathers. My main concern was that it doesn't seem to be just a movie here or a show there, it's becomeing pervasive. Add to that the fact that there are a lot of latch-key kids that are at home alone all day long watching this stuff with no supervision and I see a recipe for a large number of misled kids becoming a large number of ill prepared parents. TV is not the illness, merely a symptom.
Thanks for all your inputs!
P~
P~, I've heard this complaint for years and I'm not sure what to make of it. On the one hand, I really like the inclusion of emotions in male figures. Sure, this was over the top, but perhaps that's the other side of the pendulum from the message that "men are thoughtful, women are emotional." I don't see a return to that paradigm as particularly helpful. My hope is that at some point in the future we will simply accept it as a given that both men and women are thoughtful and emotional; sometimes mature and sometimes immature; and always have equal -- though perhaps different -- skills to contribute.
I really dislike that commercial. I don't think it's funny or even a good commercial in that it doesn't make me want to buy the product.
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