Posted on 01/05/2017 2:30:30 PM PST by iowamark
Two recent films, Deepwater Horizon with Mark Wahlberg and Sully starring Tom Hanks, represent something of a breath of fresh air, for both movies feature men who are intelligent, virtuous, and quietly heroic. If this strikes you as a banal observation, that just means you haven’t been following much of the popular culture for the past twenty years.
One of the distinctive marks of films and television programs the last couple of decades has been the Homer Simpsonization of men. Don’t get me wrong: I’m a big fan of the The Simpsons and laugh at Homer’s antics as much as the next guy. But the father of the Simpson family is stupid, boorish, drunk most of the time, irresponsible, comically incompetent, and childish. In the cartoon world, he is echoed, of course, by Family Guy’s Peter Griffin, who is similarly buffoonish. In both cases, the wives—Marge in The Simpsons and Lois in Family Guy—have the brains, the competence, and the moral responsibility. And in The Simpsons, Homer is imitated by his son Bart, who is sneaky, stupid, and unmotivated, and Marge by daughter Lisa, who is hyper-smart, uber-competent, and morally alert. In one memorable episode, Lisa is worried that she has inherited her father’s terrible qualities but is relieved to discover, by the show’s end, that the “stupid gene” is communicated only to the males in the Simpson line. In another of my favorite Simpsons scenes, Homer is told, at a moment of moral crisis, to consult that “little voice that tells you right from wrong,” and he responds, “You mean Lisa?”
If you think this male-bashing is restricted to cartoons, think again. Ray Romano’s character in Everybody Loves Raymond, Ed O’Neill’s hopeless father in Married With Children, and Ty Burrell's hapless goofball in Modern Family—all are variations on the Homer Simpson theme. Add to all this the presentation of fathers as not just inept, but horrific in Game of Thrones, and the absent, indifferent fathers of Stranger Things.
And I wonder whether you’ve noticed a character that can be found in practically every movie made today? I call her the “all conquering female.” Almost without exception, she is underestimated by men and then proves herself more intelligent, cleverer, more courageous, and more skilled than any man. Whether we’re talking about a romantic comedy, an office-drama, or an adventure movie, the all conquering female will almost inevitably show up. And she has to show her worth in a domineering way, that is to say, over and against the men. For her to appear strong, they have to appear weak. For a particularly good case in point, watch the most recent Star Wars film.
Now I perfectly understand the legitimacy of feminist concerns regarding the portrayal of women in the media as consistently demure, retiring, and subservient to men. I grant that, in most of the action/adventure movies that I saw growing up, women would typically twist an ankle or get captured and then require rescuing by the swashbuckling male hero—and I realize how galling this must have been to generations of women. And therefore, a certain correction was undoubtedly in order. But what is problematic now is the Nietzschean quality of the reaction, by which I mean, the insistence that female power has to be asserted over and against males, that there is an either/or, zero-sum conflict between men and women. It is not enough, in a word, to show women as intelligent, savvy, and good; you have to portray men as stupid, witless, and irresponsible. That this savage contrast is having an effect especially on younger men is becoming increasingly apparent.
In the midst of a “you-go-girl” feminist culture, many boys and young men feel adrift, afraid that any expression of their own good qualities will be construed as aggressive or insensitive. If you want concrete proof of this, take a look at the statistics contrasting female and male success at the university level. And you can see the phenomenon in films such as Fight Club and The Intern. In the former, the Brad Pitt character turns to his friend and laments, “we’re thirty year old boys;” and in the latter, Robert De Niro’s classic male type tries to whip into shape a number of twenty-something male colleagues who are rumpled, unsure of themselves, without ambition—and of course under the dominance of an all conquering female.
It might be the case that, in regard to money, power, and honor, a zero-sum dynamic obtains, but it decidedly does not obtain in regard to real virtue. The truly courageous person is not threatened by another person’s courage; the truly temperate man is not intimidated by the temperance of someone else; the truly just person is not put off by the justice of a countryman; and authentic love positively rejoices in the love shown by another. And therefore, it should be altogether possible to hold up the virtue of a woman without denying virtue to a man. In point of fact, if we consult the “all conquering female” characters in films and TV, we see that they often exemplify the very worst of the traditional male qualities: aggression, suspicion, hyper-sensitivity, cruelty, etc. This is what happens when a Nietzschean framework has replaced a classical one.
My point is that it is altogether possible—and eminently desirable—to say “you go boy” with as much vigor as “you go girl.” And both the boys and the girls will be better for it.
As long as they have sex with each other, I’m all for it. If one is going to fear and despise women, one should go the whole hog, so to speak.
So, basically it happened all at once, in 1968, when the networks all went basically communist and took all the country shows off the air and put on all urban shows glorifying dindu nuffins.
I don’t like seeing the implosion of our country.
These guys are ruining things as much, if not more, than the left.
One of the more ridiculous trends in the last 20 years or so is the “Warrior Princess” stereotype. Not that they are all princesses.
A good example is Smallville which was a pretty good series. Lois Lane whipping a special forces type soldier was bad enough but at least she is a fairly big girl.
Tiny Lana Lang regularly beating up on guys is just a little hard to take.
If, like many of us who have never been able to find a worthwhile woman, they turn to each other for support, why is that a problem? I’m very sympathetic to what they’re saying. If I met somebody that could change, but right now it’s the way I see it. No need to say anybody is imploding the country. And I don’t see how they’re doing it anyway.
I don’t see what you wrote as what was presented.
As for you, I’m not sure how old you are, but it can and does happen at any stage in life.
Bring back 'Psycho Dad".
Feminism destroys nations and castrates men. Sweden who is run by feminazis is a perfect example. Here’s a video that makes a case as to why that is.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UxpVwBzFAkw
The fear is that of family court, not women. In addition to losing half your assets initially there is the future wage garnishment. A guy making 100k could easily net 30k after alimony, child support and taxes. The guys simply don’t think there are enough good apples to be bothered searching through a barrel of rotten ones. These guys are are not gay. Most will date to get sex. They will be intentionally vague about their desire to marry.
“The guys” really just need to have sex with one another. That makes them a closed circle rather than contributors to the familial entropy that will destroy what was once a free country under rule of law.
I just read the lyrics and I’m still laughing!! God help me for loving such a low IQ show but it made my LAUGH!! :) I’m gonna have to do a Married With Children Binge this week.
Who’s that riding into the sun?
Who’s the man with the itchy gun?
Who’s the man who kills for fun?
Psycho Dad, Psycho Dad, Psycho Dad!
He sleeps with a gun, but he loves his son.
Killed his wife ‘cause she weighed a ton.
Psycho Dad, Psycho Dad, Psycho Dad!
A little touched or we’re told
Killed his wife ‘cause she had a cold
Might as well she was gettin’ old
Psycho Dad, Psycho Dad, Psycho Dad!
He’s quick with a gun, and his job ain’t done.
Killed his wife by twenty-one
Psycho Dad!
Who’s that riding in the sleigh?
Who’s that firing along the way?
Who’s roughing up bums on christmas day?
Psycho Dad, Psycho Dad, Psycho Dad!
Who’s the tall, dark stranger there?
The one with the gun and the icy stare?
The one with the scalp of his ex-wife’s hair?
Psycho Dad, Psycho Dad, Psycho Dad!
Who’s that riding across the plain?
Who’s lost count of the wifes he’s slain?
Who’s the man who’s plumb insane?
Psycho Dad, Psycho Dad, Psycho Dad!
“OF COURSE these men are animals and wrong, but THEY EXIST. Living in reality is a good thing.”
But they think they can change reality. Like the Alaska grizzly man who thought he could be friends with bears.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rXCfUflAyXM
Delusion kills.
You’re seriously talking about comic characters I presume) in this context?
Good Lord!!!!
Watched the whole 8 minutes then a spanish video where they had the audio and the picture of him half eaten!!!!
A shame a pretty girl got eaten. But her offspring wouldn’t have been the sharpest knives in the drawer.
Maybe some, but a marriage is now a legal relationship with very little upside for the man anymore. The odds are after a while you will be divorced, with enormous bills, labeled in public court a threat to your kids, etc. No matter how much the man was committed to the relationship.
I worked at a Chinese owned company (in the US). There were a lot of Asians working there, from India, China, the Phillipines, etc. And there were Americans. One day I looked around and noticed all the Asian women were happily married, working as partners with their husbands. And all the American women I worked with were divorced.
The OP is about the portrayal of women in tv and similar. I’m talking about the Marvel Universe movies.
“...Bart, who is sneaky, stupid, and unmotivated...”
No, he’s snarky, precocious, and rebellious. All admirable survival skills in a young white boy these days, IMO.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.