As I was relishing the time in my car by myself, I turned the radio up loud. My favorite song ended and a commercial came on. I’ve heard bits of this one before and it has always agitated me. Last night though, it about sent me over the edge.
What was the commercial you ask? It was encouraging people to dial a number before digging to be sure they don’t hit gas lines. The problem with this commercial is that it makes the husband out to be a complete and total idiot.
This makes me so angry. The double standard we have is deplorable. If there was a commercial or a TV show that made out the wife to be an idiot people would react – it would not be tolerated. It would be called sexist. So why is it okay to make men out to be ignorant doofus’?
While I was listening to this commercial my husband was home rocking our baby. He had put the three big kids to bed, done some dishes (before Libby woke Elliott) and was taking care of business the way he does so well. I know many more husbands like this than not. While Jeremy is special to me, I know he is not the only husband who shows up and does his share of the work. We are equal in our marriage and each do our fair share of the work.
My husband is brilliant. He is funny, he is kind, he is caring. He has common sense and uses it. I know not all men do, but hey not all women do either!
I think it is time we stop letting businesses and TV shows get away with making someone out to be the dumb doofus just for laughs, because it really isn’t very funny.
I totally want to jump on this issue too. I’m tired of all Dads in TV shows being portrayed as bumbling idiots. Where does this stereotype come from? Do Dad’s make mistakes sometimes…sure? But so do Moms! Does my husband do things exactly the same way I’d do them? Heck no..but that doesn’t automatically make my way right and his wrong (don’t tell him I said that though). We saw the movie “BRAVE” this week based on reviews I had read I was prepared to hate the idiot father…luckily I don’t think he was really portrayed as an idiot…he just knew when to pick his battles.
I’m very grateful my husband is a wonderful husband, father, caregiver and helps with lots of the housework too. I wish Hollywood would get on board with real men like our husbands!
Yes Jen. TV shows that portray Dads as idiots really bother me. I also liked the Dad in Brave
Kim, I agree completely!! I used to enjoy King of Queens, but the more I watched it the more I despised it. It makes the husband out to be such a doofus that everyone makes fun of him. He was actually a pretty good guy. I’ve quit watching it (and most other broadcast tv for that matter) because I’m just tired of this happening. Making people feel inferior for laughs is NOT funny IMO.
That is why I really don’t like the show Everybody Loves Raymond. Same reason.
And the wife is such a harpy! I never understand shows that depict that much lack of respect between spouses. Why are they married if they don’t even like each other?
Great post. Well said. I’ve felt this way a long time…and not just about husbands. There are other groups that are fair game, for some reason. Making fun of people, any people, isn’t kind.
exactly – making fun of anyone is just not right and I am tired of it being done for laughs.
Yep. A very frustrating trend. Even in our favorite Disney show, Good Luck, Charlie, they too often portray the dad as a doofus.
Don’t get me started on commercials that act like fathers can’t change a diaper or wash a dish. Grrr.
I totally agree with this post Kim. I happen to be married to the most amazing, brilliant, thoughtful, and spiritually grounded man I know and when I hear women ditz men, it really bothers me. Here in the Philippines, it is a definite Matriarchal society and it bothers me sometimes to see the women treating their men like they don’t know squat or can’t answer that question or can’t make that decision, etc. Too many women have embraced that ‘I AM WOMAN HEAR ME ROAR’ mentality and think they are better than men-we are equally yoked and it should be that way. Great post!!!
I didn’t take offense to that commercial. I don’t think they were assuming that all men are idiots but things can happen even in the most carefully laid plans. We were recently doing some irrigation work in the front yard. Blue stake came out and marked the lines for us so that we would know where not to trench. Despite that, a line still got cut in one spot. The work man that cut it felt really bad but we were still out $2500 for cutting a marked line as it happened to be a phone line for 200 houses. We didn’t even realize that line was in our yard. Had it not been marked by Blue stake, it could have been far worse as we probably would have cut the full length of it. My husband is incredibly smart and I’m thankful he called the number listed on the commercial.
Ugh commercials are so bad about that. The mom is the beautiful, put together head of the house, and the dad is an average, balding, pot bellied doofus. Who could never score a chick like that.
Although my husband could probably use a phone number to call and locate gas lines.
My husband is really smart and a good guy, but he’s as lazy as they come. Seriously, aside from going to work, he does nothing, and expects me to do everything. I love him, but it’s for this reason I refuse to get passionate about this. That and because of lines like “mama’s got the magic of Clorox.” These standards need to be done away with completely, for men and women.