America's deadbeat dad

Many sources of media today render American fathers as incompetent and unreliable. The media reinforces this stereotype with humor. Humor works with ubiquity to solidify the stereotype of the deadbeat dad in every American mind.

One example of the media's emphasis on deadbeat dads is found in the article: "Deadbeat Dad with 22 Kids by 14 Women May Get Reality TV Show." The journalist who wrote this article relayed an objective story, as they should, but then they added an unnecessary video to their article. They included a humorous Autotune Remix of interview footage of the alleged deadbeat dad. (Article: http://newsone.com/2641374/orlando-shaw-reality-tv-show/)

Linking this video to their article likely generated viewer interest, but it may have negative repercussions as well. Many viewers will now associate lighthearted humor and amusement with fatherhood failure. The virality of this story, and the humor involved both contribute to society's acceptance of the deadbeat dad stereotype.


The deadbeat dad stereotype is also evident in TV shows. Screenwriters can only grant each character a limited amount of depth, because of the brief and fast-paced nature of TV shows. One consequence of this is that American dads are often defaulted to the "deadbeat dad" stereotype. They often possess incompetence and unreliability as fundamental attributes.

One example is found in the TV show "New Girl." In this show, Nick is a main character. Nick's father is a flighty scam artist. Because his dad was so unreliable, Nick coped by becoming a lazy alcoholic with a lack of resolve. This show not only reinforces deadbeat dad stereotypes, but it also reinforces a "nurture v. nature" standpoint that the media today often subscribes to. TV shows often display one-dimensional characters as having inherited their largest character flaws from their parents (often their fathers in particular). While this may be partially true for many people, this is a skewed perspective, as many factors contribute to build one person's personality. This limited view promoted by TV shows is evidence of a harmful assumption associated with the single story of the deadbeat dad.

Americans have taken a cue from the media. Many Americans help perpetuate the single story of the American dad by poking fun at the deadbeat stereotype. As seen in the image to the right, we create our own comedic media based on this very single story. We follow the media's pattern and associate lighthearted humor with America's deadbeat dad. This limits the American dad, because Americans often view him as a bumbling fool, unable to care for a family. Clearly, the social implications are crippling. If we Americans want the deadbeat dad phenomenon in their nation to cease, then we must stop mocking it. Dousing a controversial stereotype with frequent and lighthearted humor only reinforces the skewed view.