Anyone who watchs modern televisions, movies, adverts will know that men are increasingly being represented as moron beings who forget everything, are lazy, and can only get by with the help of women.
A typical ad on television, one we had back in NZ here a while ago:
Showing a man puzzling at a washing machine, finally figuring out the press the start button. and the ad slogan something to the effect of “so simple, even a man can use it.”
Or on the use last night, news that a male contraceptive pill may not be far off. the news article ended by saying something to the effect of “but men will probably be too useless to remember to take it every morning” in a comical way.
Now being a male myself, and having many male friends/family members/ accquaintances. I dont know any who would not be able to figure out how to use a washing machine, in fact im pretty sure men invented washing machines. Most of the males i know are NOTHIING like what is shown on television, and many are excedingly smart and are very sucessful in all walks of life. Obviously the idea that most men are stupid, is one of the most ludicrous thoughts ever put forth. One only needs to think of the great men throughout history, the technical acheivements men have made, pioneering the sciences, medicine, modern technology etc, i mean for gods sakes most people live in a house that was entirely constructed by men…
anyway, my question is, does this anti men sentiment have any affect of peoples perception of men. Are young children growing up watching TV, growing up thinking men are stupid?
I’m pretty sure the stigma of which you speak has been around for quite some time. At least since the the introduction of the TV. So I can’t imagine that it has any real world effects. Even if it did effect the children they will soon learn from about a hundred other stimuli that it’s pretty much a mans world.
Now is that fair? Probably not. But “it is what it is” so to speak.
That isn’t to say that the discrimination isn’t out there though. Like at my work for example; Men are not allowed to bring magazines to work such as Maxim, FHM, ect… Not that I give a shit personally, because I don’t read that crap. However, I do find it a bit unfair that the women at my company are still allowed to bring magazines like Cosmo or any other magazine like it to work.
Personally, I think it started (or at least was massively helped along) with the infamous 1977 Sucrets commercial in which a husband wakes up his wife because his throat hurts. She gets the Sucrets lozenges, and soon he’s asleep while she’s left wide awake, playing solitaire. That he was little more than a bawling infant was clear.
In more recent years, the various men’s magazines like Maxim and whatnot carry a disturbing subtext: as a man, you are by default an idiot and your only choice is to copy the alpha males in matters of clothing, food and drink, all in the vague hope that women (who will forever be mysterious creatures beyond your comprehension) won’t notice how much of an idiot you are until it’s too late.
Oh please. I really can’t believe you’re getting worked up by this. Smart wife/stupid husband is just a comedic device. It’s been around forever - didn’t you people ever watch the Honeymooners? It has nothing to do with discrimination against men. The women are just playing the foil (straight man so to speak).
“Worked up” ? Please don’t project your hysterics onto me, I’m not one of the idiot men portrayed in the media. Ralph Kramden would get shot down by one of his wife’s sarcastic comments, and he would launch ridiculously complicated schemes, but he wasn’t an infant, incapable of dealing with his problems or the complexity of a new appliance.
In some ways, I’m more concerned about a more recent movie stereotype: the mystical black man (or woman, if the character is played by Whoopi Goldberg). This character wanders through the story offering homespun advice and wisdom to the otherwise helpless, hopeless and hapless white characters so they can get their lives back on track.
uglybeech is right. None of this is anything new. These depictions of men as kinda dumb and women having to take care of them have been around forever. Keep in mind that men are responsible for what I would wager is the vast majority of them in terms of writing and running networks and businesses.
Actually I don’t know that. I know there is plenty of what you’re talking about, but I don’t know that it’s increasing. I think it’s always been there. Women taking care of men is not a recent invention.
The joke here isn’t just that men are dumb, it’s that they don’t do laundry. Something I would guess women usually handle in a couple situation. Also, tons of commercials depict people as idiots. “Are you too stupid to [do some simple task]? It just got a whole lot easier, you lucky dumbass!”
That’s TV news humor for you. Although it does come from truth to an extent, if you think about who the burden is usually on when it comes to birth control.
Do you know any women who are like characters on television?
It’s not that you don’t have any kind of a point, but I think you’re taking television too seriously here. These are not supposed to be realistic depictions of people. Most television programs are geared for cheap, easy laughs, which is why you see the same characters and characteristics over and over. They’re not made to stand up to logical and critical analysis, so of course they don’t.
True. On the other hand, he was immature, had a temper… it’s not totally far removed. I guess it sounds like I’m disagreeing with you, but I think you’re spot-on about Maxim.
I’ve been seeing a lot of movies lately. You’re right about parts for black people. Usually black characters exist to help white characters and there are two or three basic stereotypical roles. Same often goes for women helping men.
I’ll project my hysterics wherever I want. And Ralph Kramden was an infant. Or, I’m sorry, is the complaint restricted solely to the depiction of mens’ facility with home appliances? In which case I’ll concede the point as I can’t remember a episode devoted specifically to the topic.
Yeah, I saw a similar news story, except it was reported as part of the actual story that women think men can’t be trusted to use a contraceptive. Puh-leeze. And then, to top it off, the woman anchor made a smart-alecky remark like “no comment” or something after the story, too.
I just find the man-bashing to be played-out, and just plain annoying at this point. My litmus test is always to substitute “woman”, “black”, “hispanic”, “gay”, or some other group, and make a mental note as to whether the comment would be considered offensive if it were said about anyone besides men.
As far as commercial go, I understand why they do it. Their target group is women, and they’re trying to make women feel superior in order to get them to buy their product. Doesn’t make it any less annoying, though.
Everybody knows White Heterosexual Men is the last group one can legitimately stereotype and make fun of. I say, lets take it like men. Not whine and bawl and cry "unfair” like all the other wimpy groups out there.
Interestingly, when it’s a woman who needs help, there’s usually a gay male neighbor around.
You’re getting increasingly hostile for no reason I can discern. Kramden typically would pursue some ill-conceived get-rich-quick scheme or something, but at least he was trying to accomplish something. He wouldn’t fall into catatonia or helplessness when confronted with a problem, as male character in commercials have recently started to do (or at least since 1977).
I hold Captain Kirk up as the exact opposite; a see-the-problem, solve-the-problem kinda guy, without excessive analysis or endless reflection. Sure, he has moments of doubt, and he relies on advice from his two most trusted confidants who typically contribute in a meaningful way and not just with vague homilies, but whining that his throat hurts? No, sir-ree!
Anyway, I can understand why commercials show the woman as smarter; because on many household products, it’ll be the woman who makes the decisions not becuase the man is helpless, but because he doesn’t care, and he doesn’t care that he doesn’t care. I jsut wish the pandering was a bit less repetitive.
I can recall one commercial, though, in which the typical role was reversed. A man and woman are riding in a car, with him driving, and she is rattling on at length about curtains or something. The car enters a long tunnel and she falls silent while the man downshifts, revs up, accelerates through the tunnel with a faint smile of satisfaction at the performance of the vehicle. When they emerge, she resumes talking, obviously sensitive (in what I’ll admit gives a vaguely creepy Promise Keepers kinda vibe) to his desire to enjoy his car without distraction, i.e. people yapping about irrelevant decorating ideas.
I hear what you are saying. What i was proposing orginally was, “does this veiwpoint, when continually impounded upon a young persons mind, eventually have an effect”
Whether or not the “comical standpoint” of men being useless is in fact increasing (personally i think it is). Does this have a negative influence on how society views men? or do you give people enough credit to be able to see past this? As to you question, “do i know any girls like the one portrayed on TV?”
I know A LOT of girls who try to be like the women from sex and the city… Truly sad.
because we may know the reasoning behind this “Women control the finanaces of the household therefore 80% of marketing is aimed at woman blah blah” does this mean we should accept this despite of the negative consequences it may have?
Or are people smart enough to constantly see men portrayed as idiots on a daily basis and think “what a funny joke”.
Personally, even when something is extremely funny, i get tired of it when it is repeated incessantly.
But i guess its been proven as a winning formula, so it wont be leaving us any time soon.
For over 2,000 years, women were told they were like infants, of lower mental capacity than men, incapable of higher reasoning, a waste of schooling, fit only for breeding and domesticity, etc., etc. Don’t like trying the shoe on the other foot? Don’t like a taste of your own medicine? Yeah, karma is a bitch.
I’m inclined to agree. I snort at women who laugh at men for being stupid. ALL humans are stupid at some point especially in attempting to handle things about which they have no clue.
But if it makes them happy and if it’s good for a laugh, go ahead. “Real” men can take it (and should). We’re certainly not above being the butt of a joke, and if it saves society from being completely humorless, I’m all for it.
And in the case of items which mostly get used by women, it plays to the hope that SOMEDAY hubby will learn to separate darks from lights.
Before y’all yell at me, yes I know many women who suck at housework and many men who refuse to have their shirts ironed by anybody but themselves. But every statistic out there, at least in the EU, shows that in households with both males and females, the women take care of most of the housework.
Mind you, I do hate those ads. They’re almost up there with the ones for clothes dryers that “leave your clothes as soft and nice as if you’d dried them outside, in some field of flowers which exists only in ads”. This from people who are trying to convince Spaniards to buy a dryer, eh, not someone in Jersey! :smack:
I always wonder: do they have several fields, or the one for Milka is the same one used for fabric softeners and clothes dryers? Ah, the great questions! Ought’a ask the master, you think?
