Hey TV, Dads Aren't Dumb
When I was a child, Disney Channel was the coolest network on television. From “Hannah Montana” to “Wizards of Waverly Place,” I idolized the stars and never missed an episode. Over the years, I noticed a pattern in the way fathers were portrayed. They acted almost like children as if they were unable to properly parent. At the time, I dismissed this message and didn’t give it much thought because I believed men most certainly can be excellent parents. I assumed the show creators were trying to be funny or get a cheap laugh. At the time, I didn’t realize that I was being fed a message.
Many shows, including “Arrested Development,” “Malcolm in the Middle,” “Titus,” and “Modern Family,” depict men as incapable of raising children or doing household chores well (Sellnow, 2018). Specifically, in “Modern Family” there are four main father characters. They are each depicted as inept, not good at raising children, and ill-equipped to care well for their homes (Sellnow, 2018). These messages subtly say it's not “normal” for a man to be good at raising children or taking care of a home. This is extremely sad because men are just as capable as women of raising children and completing household duties.
Men, however, aren’t the only ones being pigeonholed. Women have often been depicted on TV as stay-at-home moms while their husbands go to work. Popular shows such as “The Brady Bunch” reinforce this idea that women don’t work, care for the home, and keep things tidy. Those are their only jobs. More recently released shows, including “Modern Family,” portray moms who care for the homes and have to treat their husband like he is one of the children.
Viewers must ask themselves. What is the message they are trying to send? Pop culture messages can be like a virus. They unknowingly enter into a body (or mind) without the host realizing it. Before the person knows it, they have a stuffy nose and sore throat. People may assume they are not influenced by what they watch on a silly TV show, but that is not true. Research has shown that forms of entertainment and media can reflect and shape what people believe and how they behave (Sellnow, 2018).
These rhetorical arguments are subtly creating ideas and opinions about men and women. If people aren’t educated about the messages in pop culture, those ideas can start to infiltrate their lives. But, just how much does it influence a person’s life? How many people succumb to pop culture messages about fathers and mothers? I have personally seen some of my friends believe these messages. The importance of understanding pop culture messages is vital because they can be extremely influential. Could believing and adhering to these stereotypes be damaging to relationships? How damaging are pop culture messages? Being critical of the messages from television can help everyone develop self-awareness about their values, norms, and ideals.
Author: McKenzie Stauffer
Sources:
Sellnow, D. D. (2018). The rhetorical power of popular culture: considering mediated texts. https://doi.org/10.4135/9781071800638
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ReplyDeleteI have noticed this as well, it seems to be a glaring issue in popular media that hasn't changed despite all the advancements and progress media has made in portraying women, LGBTQ+ community, and people of color. Why are dads still dumb? Is it because people (including the fathers these shows and other media are targeting) don't care about this portrayal? Is it because society believes it is true and accurate? Is it part of a larger problem like the idea that men revealing emotions is seen as weak? Perhaps this continuation, or rather shift, of men going from smart and important providers in the media to idiot side characters is a result of a 180 degree turn of women from humble, sometimes ditzy housewives to more prominent roles in new media and television.
ReplyDeleteI do believe that certain messages on TV shows considered to be a part of pop culture can be harmful and that these messages can extend past gender roles, as you demonstrated in your post.
ReplyDeleteFor instance, one of my favorite TV shows, "That 70's Show," has a main character known as Fez. Fez is a foreign exchange student from an unnamed country, and the other main characters cannot pronounce his name, so they elect to use the acronym for Foreign Exchange Student as his name instead.
Instead of portraying Fez as an equal counterpart to the other main characters, he is treated as "outlandish," and any joke even mentioning the character is essentially treating his views or behaviors as outlandish when compared to the other main characters, who were all born and raised in Wisconsin.
While the stereotyping of Fez is exaggerated, as well as the behaviors of the other characters toward him would be considered normal for the time period, so are the depictions of the "TV Dads" you listed in your post. Guarinos and Berciano-Garrido (2022) described that harmful stereotypes can have the ability to alter the perceptions and behaviors of a person toward another from a different cultural background. Because of this, I would not only say that these messages are harmful and damaging to already established relationships but also that the messages can also prevent meaningful relationships from developing, if the views from the TV show are internalized.
References:
Guarinos, V., & Berciano-Garrido, D. (2022). Towards a representation model of Arabs and Muslims: USA TV series as an amplifier of the cultural hegemonic speech (case study: Homeland). Journal of Arab & Muslim Media Research, 15(1), 125–144. https://doi-org.proxy.li.suu.edu:2443/10.1386/jammr_00044_1