Cultural Misandry? – A Minor Rant on The “Men are Stupid” Commericals.

OK, you know the typical drill of a TV commercial: As the scene opens, some buffoon of a man, usually a husband, is struggling to have a clue as to what something is all about. Sure enough, an all-knowing woman (usually the wife), rolling her eyes and shaking her head in pity, is there to help the stupid buffoon of a man not utterly ruin everything. And of course the product being peddled is usually part of the solution. And, by the way, did I mention that the man is stupid? In an alternate version, it is the children who are all-wise, and they help the idiot father figure things out as they step in with the product. And of course we’re all supposed to laugh: “Ha, Ha, Ha look at that stupid guy. What an idiot!”

Obviously these ads are not trying to sell anything to me. I am far more prone to refuse to buy any product that says, “Hey, buy our product you buffoon.” Perhaps they are targeted to women? Even worse, to children?

OK, now remember this is a “rant.” And a rant is “to talk in a noisy, excited, or declamatory manner.” I don’t lack any sense of humor, and can laugh at myself and the male sex from time to time. But, after a while, these ads are wearying, and their frequency does indicate to me something that is fundamentally unhealthy in our culture.

The greatest harm, I think, comes to children who see men, and especially fathers, presented as idiots, crude, foolish, lustful and just plain stupid. A steady diet of this served up in commercials does not help them respect their elders, especially their fathers, and other male authority figures.

Neither does it really help women. The “men are idiots” thinking may have a certain “charm” or humor angle, (i.e., it’s interesting at times to poke fun at the differences between men and women), but in the end, it isn’t a good attitude to cultivate. Women do owe men respect, just as a fellow human beings. And, for those who accept Scripture, a husband is at the head of the house. Ridicule and caricature, are not helpful dispositions in cultivating family love and unity.

Neither do these ads help men. It is always best for men to see their best qualities exemplified. Instead what they get is a portrait that men are not only stupid, they are lazy, unfaithful, lustful, inappropriate, addicted to beer, lousy fathers, unkempt, inattentive to their wife and kids due to sports, and did I mention, stupid? How does a steady diet of this help men?

Some argue that these ads, of reflect culture. Really? Are all men like this? They may reflect culture in the sense that male characteristics are often on the outs and that it is politically correct to caricature men. Try reversing the roles and put the woman in the role of buffoon and see how that would fly.

But not only do the ads reflect culture, they help shape it. Again I ask, how does all this negativity help men and boys to understand what is good about them? There are very few healthy male portraits in current culture. It is not only the buffoonery of the ads, it is the extremely violent and hyper-sexualized “heroes” of the movies, idiosyncratic actors, freakish rock and rap stars, often immoral or out of control sports figures, effeminate, and weak sitcom “dads,” and the thuggish, criminal and unfaithful men of series such as Sopranos. None of this helps young men toward grasping their better nature and becoming good, responsible husbands and fathers.

So there is my rant. Below are a number of videos that portray the “men are idiots” commercials. As always, I am interested in your thoughts.

Only Marge and Lisa are portrayed as more or less sane people (Patty and Selma, also, though living in despair).

Mrs. Lovejoy is a hypocritical gossip. Maud Flanders was the neighbor from hell.

Crusty is not an evil clown (That would be Sideshow Bob) and Apu is a loving father and husband who does his best to care for a (very) large family. Marge and Ned Flanders are more or less normal because you have to have someone to make a contrast.

Sorry but if you try to build an essay around "men are unfairly portrayed" using the Simpsons you are going to have to look at the whole picture.

Really? Lisa is portrayed as a self righteous, self centered, pretentious little jerk who thinks she is much smarter then she is. Patty and Selma are stuck in low paying dead-end jobs, friendless and often are rescued by Homer from their latest round of stupidity. That is when they are not trying to take advantage of Homer and having the whole thing back fire.

I think this is how we would perceive Lisa. I'm not sure the creators of the show perceive her that way. Our seldom, if ever, seeing Patty and Selma in the company of friends doesn't indicate they're friendless, but, even then, this doesn't mean they're stupid or being portrayed as stupid relative to Homer (who has morphed from vicious and stupid in the earliest episodes to lovable and stupid in the later episodes). At least one of them works for the state, so it's probably not a low paying job and will have a comfortable pension.

Mrs. Lovejoy is a hypocritical gossip. Maud Flanders was the neighbor from hell.

This is true, but Maud, she dead. And neither had as much facetime as the others I've mentioned.

Crusty is not an evil clown (That would be Sideshow Bob)

Sideshow Bob is evil, but he's not a clown. And Crusty is always selling his name and image to market unsafe devices, unwholesome food, and other such things for his own gain.

Apu is a loving father and husband who does his best to care for a (very) large family.

True, but his primary focus is on selling, selling, selling.

Marge and Ned Flanders are more or less normal because you have to have someone to make a contrast.

Sorry but if you try to build an essay around "men are unfairly portrayed" using the Simpsons you are going to have to look at the whole picture.

The preponderance of the evidence in the portrayal of males versus females in The Simpsons still supports my argument, secondary qualities of some characters notwithstanding.

I'm not sure the creators of the show perceive her that way.

I would argue that they have shown it quite clearly. As evidence I would note that when Lisa tried to run the town with only "Smart people" in charge it turned out rather poorly as do most of her schemes, the exception is when she is trying to act in a proper sisterly fashion and save Bart. That is also is when Bart's plans tend to work out as well. Both of them succeed when they are focused on others.

Our seldom, if ever, seeing Patty and Selma in the company of friends doesn't indicate they're friendless, but, even then, this doesn't mean they're stupid or being portrayed as stupid relative to Homer

They have talked about being alone and lonely several times and can you name a time when Homer didn't ultimately come out on top? Both of them are clerks for the DMV. Low skill job, not very high paying, usually selected by people who lack brains. It is steady work I will grant you. But I would bet on Homer beating them in the pay department.

As to Mrs Lovejoy and Maud not having much face time, Neither does Chief Wiggum. And Sideshow Bob is a clown. A second rate clown.

Selling, selling selling is how Apu provides for his family of, I think it is twelve. He is not piling up money for it's own sake.

And I have think I have shown that they have one normal male (Ned) and one normal female (Marge) character with the rest being eh.. not so admirable. That is balance.

BTW there are more male major characters then female which might play into it.

You are wrong, The man as a fool commercial has only been in use for the last couple of decades.

Re-read what I wrote, more carefully and more slowly. What I said was quite accurate. Further, the impact of any mass media lies in each individual target viewer or listener as per each one's "issues" or "rackets" going on in their heads.

For example, while you are offended and concerned by the how the fleeting nonsense of white male bashing may affect how we are perceived - I, and presumably others, might be more focused on the strength of male portrayals in mass media by such talent as Ed Harris, Robert Duvall, George C Scott, Jeff Bridges, Rush Limbaugh, Dennis Prager, Hugh Hewitt, and many other mentally/physically strong icons with stong integrity.

But again, we all have our own stories rambling away in our own heads - based on our own life fears and insecurities, don't we "MCF"?

Pathos is one thing but I would be on guard in the current cultural climate against the degrading.

True, Gonzo, and I understand your overall point, and I love your post here. Generally speaking, I, personally, try to think ahead to potential examples of "impacts". For example, if black males are consistently shown in mass media as dumbass hoodlums, then of course there are going to be the idiots out there who are going to make up stories in their pea-sized brains that that is the sum of all black males. Conversely, the fear is that with white male bashing, the impact will be__________ because of what _______ thinks.

Anyway, and unfortunately, my tv spot industry is lacking creativity and originality - and I'll do my part with your point in mind. Good to meet you here on FR!

Pathos is one thing but I would be on guard in the current cultural climate against the degrading.

Anyway, and unfortunately, my tv spot industry is lacking creativity and originality - and I'll do my part with your point in mind. Good too meet you here on FR!

Pathos is one thing but I would be on guard in the current cultural climate against the degrading.

Anyway, and unfortunately, my tv spot industry is lacking creativity and originality - and I'll do my part with your point in mind. Good too meet you here on FR!

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