Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Feminism and Meninism Lacking in Today's Media?
Hopefully because I'm mentioning more TV shows I don't get spam-suspicious again by the site. But, in examination of many modern television shows, especially those that focus on the family or institution of marriage, it is interesting to note that it is now the men who are many times portrayed as the weak and inferior ones. It is in the manner of the bumbling Doug Heffernan from King of Queens, the incompetent husbandry of Ray Baron from Everybody Loves Raymond, or the utter incapability and stupidity of Homer Simpson that this is the case (these are among the more popular sitcoms). Nowadays TV sitcoms often present the male as unable to do much of anything, while the women accomplish more or hold the reigns of the household. This definitely is in much contrast to the past when those roles were reversed. However, many shows with these elements, or those of primarily female focus, rekindle a feminist presence but lack feminist substance. The female drive and ideals of the then breaking-out shows like The Mary Tyler Moore Show are rare to find in modern situation comedies. Any feminist topics that are addressed are done so with much less determination and conviction than the typical gossip and casual talk that occur on many female-driven shows. Has the media simply not found enough of an audience to seriously depict a culturally accurate portrayal of strong male and female characters? I don’t watch much TV anymore aside from Scrubs, The History Channel and sports, but would anyone say there are quality shows that depict quality characters that embody quality traits of men and/or women?
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I don't watch a lot of tv either these days but i have to agree that there really are no tv shows out there that depict quality characteristics of men or woman. Even the show family guy portrays Peter (the father) as dumb and incompatible. The only other two shows i watch are House and in Plain Sight. While these shows better depict men and woman characteristic as a whole they only concentrate on their professions. Even so they are not exactly what would happen in a real life situation. Anyone knows that if you had a doctor that acted like house does that he would be fired and or on drug therapy and how often do you see woman who act like Mary Shannon in In plain sight. It would be interesting to see a tv show that actually had some concept of what quality traits of men and woman are and to actually display them in a show.
ReplyDeleteNik
ReplyDeleteI understand why you would say that men are portrayed as weaker in sitcoms - but I think it's purely for the laugh-factor. Bumbling fools have always been funny to the masses and since the shows are predominantly written by men, I don't think this is because of feminism or meninism.
As for the feminist substance - we aren't in the 1970s anymore, Toto. The things that Mary Richards fought for in the Mary Tyle Moore show and her "going to make it after all" aren't things that people today feel women would struggle against. Lou Grant was a misogynist with a heart of gold, played for laughs by Ed Asner.
I think the media has found that reality TV is more lucrative than all other TV. So watching The Bachelor brings in more women than, say, King of Queens. So pushing feminist topics on a sitcom is probably not lucrative which is what TV is all about. Watching Sex and the City, while portraying four strong women in the own ways, did not push the feminist agenda and this show was seen by millions.
"All in the Family" pushed the boundaries of racism, feminism, machoism, and other isms I can't think of. In the politically correct world of today, that show would probably not be allowed to air. But like The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Maude and Rhoda, they pushed their agendas - now those agendas are played out and are no longer needed.
It is still almost forbidden on TV for a woman to have an abortion without any thought or discussion - instead, she miscarries before the big day, taking the onus off her shoulders and that of the network. "Maude" did it in the 1970s and it was discussed for a long time.
Finally, I think there are many shows out there that portray strong men and women such as: House, Criminal Minds, 30 Rock, The Office, Samantha Who, Lie to Me, Numbers, Ghost Whisperer - to name a few.
Nik,
ReplyDeleteSince I work and go to school, TV is last on my list to do. But aren't the TV sitcoms for the purpose of humor and/or laughter. There are trying to make everyday situations humorous. They try to gain the audiences to watch and become regular followers so that their show will continue. The sitcoms of today are very much different of the sitcoms of 30 years ago. Our society has changed and so has the TV sitcoms. For instance Happy Days and All in the Family dealt with different issues then we have today. The males roles in these sitcoms were very strong characters compared to the female roles. How about Home Improvements, it was a sitcom mainly about carpentry work but the husband and wife worked together to run their household and family. Sitcoms have changed as our society has changed. For example, the wives in the sitcoms of 30 years ago stayed home to care for the kids and the house. But today, the wife in the King of Queens works like most women today do. The households today usually both the husband and wife work and hopefully share the responsibility of the household duties. Today, the sitcoms are not with weak male roles but more seen as sharing and compromising with their wives.