"Whatever happened to predictability? The milkman, the paper boy or evening tv? " It seems as though that over time, the role of the father in a family has diminished or become some sort of a comedian rather than a respectable person for children to look up to. We first started out with guys like Andy Griffth, Mike Brady (the Brady Bunch), Heathcliff Huxtable (Bill Cosby), and even Danny Tanner (Full House). All of these men were well-respected and looked up to as role models. Sure, they were fictional characters but like all stories and acting, they are based off of a compilation of truths. The fact is, as society continues down its current path, not only is the family being attacked but also the roles of parents, specifically with the fathers. Here is a very interesting news piece with "Huggies" saying "to prove that Huggies wipes and diapers can handle anything, we put it up to the toughest test imaginable...dads...alone with their babies..."
Here is an article that coincides with the piece from Deseret News.
As a man, I can admit, that our gender may occasionally more often than we'd like to, makes mistakes. We don't understand women, but we try. Sure, satirical in nature as it may be, but shows like "Family Guy," "the Simpsons," and "King of the Hill," depict fathers as bumbling idiots who are virtually good for nothing. Kids and of course teenagers all have access to these shows and if they don't have tv, their friends do and with interactions with them, some behavior that is displayed in these media means can rub off. As kids are exposed to more and more of these situations, it really has an impact on how they view their own father or father-figure in their own personal lives.
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Is this how you want to be viewed as? Ladies: Is this what you want your man to be?
To combat this negative stereotype, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints stands firm with their affirmation that marriage is a partnership and that there are equal responsibilities between the patriarch and matriarch of the home. Here's a great media example from Elder D Todd Christofferson.
This is interesting. I can see how men can get a bad reputation as fathers through the media.
ReplyDeleteI miss the old days of good dads on tv. Modern Family does the best job right now for sure, they are dads who are just trying to be the best dad they can be. That's all any father can do these days.
ReplyDeleteinteresting. I feel like the media has been shifting the perception of males and females in the media. Women were portrayed as the helpless pushover women who waited at home each day until their husband came home. Now they are portrayed as career women who are headstrong so often. As they have become more independent characters in film, it seems like the male gender has taken the opposite perception and more clueless as dads, although I don't believe that's true.
ReplyDeleteI have also noticed this trend in the media. It seems that the women are portrayed as control freaks who are trying to take care of their husband and kids rather than the husband and wife working together as a team to raise their family. I do not agree with this portrayal, but it seems to be the trend in the media. It seems we can already see effects of this in society as women, even in the Church, are fighting for rights to be equal to men in every aspect. However, that is not God's plan and if we want to have true joy and happiness in our lives, we have to follow His plan, not the media's.
ReplyDeleteAmen. I think many of the problems with men in society is that there isn't much expected of them these days. The story is that men are worthless... and that's a bummer. I can see mainstream media's damage on "real men".
ReplyDeleteIt's important for children to have both a mother figure and a father figure in their home. There are too many kids who are without that father figure and society is beginning to deteriorate (there are other factors, but facts point to a direct link between absent fathers and adolescent problems). Instead of looking to combat this trend and strengthen the family, the media (and society as a whole) seems to be continuously lowering the bar and making what was once unthinkable acceptable.
ReplyDeleteOmygosh I have always noticed and said this about childrens shows. Sometimes its not just the dad either. Its the parents in general. As a child I thought it was sort of funny and even a little empowering because it put the parents at our level or even below our intelligence level as kids. I think that has a negative effect because it may reflect in the childs own life that maybe their parents are not as smart as they seem to be and that they don't need to be obedient. The media is EVIL lol
ReplyDeleteI'm really glad that you chose this topic! So much we hear about the media degrading motherhood (which, it totally does!) but we do not always recognize the degradation of fatherhood. As well as "dumbing down dad" like you talked about, I think there is such a focus on males making money (and even in our LDS culture since fathers are outlined as providers in The Family: A Proclamation to the World) that a man is sometimes looked at as more accomplished father if he provides a big house in a nice neighborhood for his family, rather than if he is away from his job enough to help his kids with homework, and help his wife in household roles like cleaning up dinner, putting the kids to bed, etc.
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