October 19, 2002
I remember TV shows like “Father Knows
Best” and “Leave It To Beaver” where the father character was always wise
and in control. The father figure
of the 50s and 60s has been replaced, however, with an inept, stupid moron.
We see a move away from the Ward Cleaver and
Andy Griffith characters of the 60s to Archie Bunker and “Maude’s” husband
(who can even remember his name?) in the 70s.
In the 80s we got Clark Griswold in the “Vacation” series of movies
with Chevy Chase. And in the 90s we
got Homer Simpson.
My theory has always been that the
entertainment media will make a parody of a subject that it wants to introduce
to the public. That parody is
slowly replaced by a cultural “norm” of the moral that Hollywood has chosen.
We have seen this happen on several levels.
The introduction of African American sitcoms in the early 70s is a good
example. At that time, an all
African American casted drama would have flopped.
But we got J.J. Johnson spouting catch phrases like “dyn-O-mite!” and
others, which seem to me like degrading roles for African Americans.
Those shows made light of many of the characteristics for which African
Americans had been racialized.
But by making it all a big joke, the white
folks could laugh at the classic (and stereotypical) African American antics
while their values are silently and covertly changed.
In the 90s, all African American casted sitcoms are more normalized and
don’t capitalize their humor on cultural idiosyncrasies of the black
communities.
This is an example of how the entertainment
industry participated in a positive change.
However another example of this practice (used negatively) would be the
Gay/Lesbian agenda. In the late 70s
and 80s, we saw the introduction of homosexuals as humorous and ridiculous.
Their appearances were as the butt of jokes and the humor would
capitalize on how the mainstream characters recoiled at the idea.
When “Three’s Company” aired, it had a
dual agenda. First was to present a
comedy featuring covert sexuality (in the two female characters) and second was
to introduce the idea of homosexuality frequently (in the character of Jack
Tripper).
As you recall, the only reason the landlord
would allow Jack to live in the apartment with the two women was that he
pretended to be gay. This is the
first (that I know of) character to openly claim to be gay (even under
pretense).
Remember “Bosom Buddies” where Peter
Scolari and Tom Hanks cross-dressed as women in order to get an apartment in an
all-female apartment building. We
laughed at and summarily dismissed the idea of transvestites without realizing
the stronger moral implications.
Now, we have shows that not only show
homosexual lifestyles as “normal”, but the characters who ridicule or recoil
at the homosexuality are the butt of the jokes.
“Will and Grace” is about a straight woman and gay man sharing an
apartment. The gay lifestyle is not
the joke anymore. Showtime airs a
program entitled “Queer As Folk” which is a dramatic series that features
several parallel plot lines. The
show openly discusses and advocates homosexuality, and even graphically portrays
male on male sex. Characters on the
program that show any level of disapproval for homosexuality are made out to be
stupid, uninformed, unenlightened, or religious bigots.
I discussed these two examples primarily to
explain the trend. How does this
factor into the “dad’s a moron” agenda?
First off, I think the feminist movement is
at work in some of this. In order
for the feminist movement to make its point that women are not only as good as
men – but better, they have to paint a picture of dads as beer-gutted,
insensitive clods planted on the couch in front of the TV while the
ever-vigilant mom keeps the house in order.
Consider Archie Bunker.
This man comes home from work and verbally assaults everyone from Jews
and Italians right up to his own son-in-law and wife. In the 70s we thought it was funny because we all agreed with
Archie’s bigoted, misogynist (male supremacist) views.
But his character was written as a parody of what is the worst in us.
George Jefferson was introduced to “All In
The Family” as an ever-present antagonist to Archie Bunker.
The gag worked so well that “The Jeffersons” was spun off into its
own series. Then, we saw a
different angle of prejudice. A
black man who had made it rich was now prejudiced against the poor and even
something he could not tolerate, the inter-racial couple who lived in the same
building.
Consider “The Simpsons.”
Homer is, well, a moron. He
never makes the right decisions, he is cruel and insensitive to his kids, and
shifts the entire burden of the household to his wife, Marge.
Marge, the humble but capable housewife bucks up under this burden and
sustains the family.
Consider “The King of Queens.” The husband, Doug, although good-hearted, is dim-witted and
frequently fouls the situation that his wife, Carrie, is ever ready and able to
fix.
Ray Ramano of “Everybody Loves Raymond”
is selfish, belligerent, and constantly attempts to manipulate his wife,
Deborah. She on the other hand is
rarely anything but kind, collected and competent.
Even Raymond’s dad is ornery, degrading, and chauvinistic.
In kids’ cartoons like “Courage, the
Cowardly Dog,” The husband Eustace Bain’s catch phrase is “Stupid dog!” He rarely contributes anything positive to the activity of
the episode, but the wife, Muriel, and the dog consistently save the day.
In movies like “Jimmy Neutron,” the dad
is an insignificant character who is unable to take care of himself, much less
his family.
In the Chevy Chase “Vacation” movies,
Clark Griswold is well meaning but foolish, uncoordinated, ignorant, and at
times, just plain stupid. The wife
and kids show more discipline and common sense.
Pay attention to any commercial where a
father character is portrayed. Almost
exclusively, the dad is slow-witted or oblivious to what is going on.
One commercial for a breakfast snack
portrays the same family in two settings. In
the first, it is the perfect family, but the narrator says, “Get real!” to
which the setting shifts to a “modern” family in which the morning routine
is nothing short of mayhem. But
through it all, the father remains oblivious, buried in the morning paper while
mom ensures that the kids get off to school.
A further contributor to this is the
recurring theme of the “youth savior.”
I discuss this topic more in another article, but this theme teaches that
the kids – not the parents –ultimately know best how to solve a situation.
I think you get the point.
I challenge you to watch for this theme in TV shows and movies.
You may be surprised at how prevalent it is.
But here’s the downshot – if kids are
constantly fed the message that “dad’s a moron,” then we must assume that
at some point, their respect for parents (in general) and dads (in particular)
will be degraded. How can kids feel
confident about their dads’ authority if every TV dad they see is incapable of
wiping his own drool?
This agenda threatens to destroy the family
unit by eliminating the position that parents are commanded to take in the
family.
(Proverbs 22:6 KJV) Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.
This is probably the most recognizable verse
about parenting, but it is hardly the only verse.
The entire book of Proverbs is full of advice about how parents should
take responsibility for the care and discipline of the family.
Likewise, children are commanded to respect
their parents.
(Exodus 20:12 KJV) Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.
This is one of the Ten Commandments!
What we as parents need to do is to be the
strong, wise parent that God directs us to be.
We need to exercise patience, dignity, and grace while maintaining
discipline and respect for authority.
Don’t let Hollywood teach your kids what is moral truth. That’s your job.