Why do people find it funny and entertaining to have sitcoms that display men as clueless idiots? I'll give a couple examples...."Everybody loves raymond" and "The king of queens." Those shows try to portray the woman as the "smart one" while emasculating the male lead.
2007-09-11 03:48:31 · 23 answers · asked by Thundercat 7 in Social Science ➔ Gender Studies
Super Ruper...I understand your point about people watching and increasing ratings. I wonder what the demographic is...are more men or women watching those shows...or is it about equal.
2007-09-11 05:59:43 · update #1
They make such movies because displaying someone as a clueless idiot is always an easy way to make comedy.
But if you try to display a woman character as a clueless idiot, feminists will try (and will succeed in) to stop the show.
There are fanatic beliefs and value system and efforts to prevent such "entertainment" out of making a woman look as a clueless idiot.
Men don’t care much about such stuff; may be because they have nothing loose.
Feminists care, because they think women loose their value if you display any woman as a clueless idiot. This is called insecurity.
2007-09-11 05:07:26 · answer #1 · answered by UseAnotherNickname 3 · 7⤊ 0⤋
In all fairness, the women on these shows aren't portrayed in an entirely positive light. They may be smart, but they're also shrewish, ungrateful, and clingy. But, yes, the idiot male is also very popular. My guess is that it's because idiots are highly amusing, and smart people of either sex don't generate a lot of laughs unless they're making someone else look dumb, i.e. Jim from The Office.
2007-09-11 05:42:59 · answer #2 · answered by Rio Madeira 7 · 3⤊ 0⤋
Look, I don't like seeing shows where children are portrayed as the smart ones while the adults are boring and stupid. It's not that way in real life. What I do is not watch these shows instead of complaining about them. However, many people seem to like them so that's why they continue to be produced.
2007-09-11 08:51:03 · answer #3 · answered by RoVale 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Because the viewer demographic likes it.
Of course, watching broadcast TV, anymore is like falling into a time warp that takes you back thirty years.
Nothing on broadcast TV reflects current culture. It's all retro. This explains why young female newscasters are still not doing so hot... their audience is still over 50, nostalgic for their 30's.
Broadcast TV is full of stuffy stereotypes because they are trying to reach the broadest, non-paying demographic possible. Notice cable shows are not done this way (mostly)?
2007-09-11 04:01:50 · answer #4 · answered by eine kleine nukedmusik 6 · 6⤊ 0⤋
Someone has to be the fall guy. It might be the case that the feminists have been so successful at complaining at negative female stereotypes that the script writers thought, "Well if I can't have the woman as the fall 'guy', then perhaps the man can be the fall guy."
The best comedy duos have a straight guy and a dopy guy. Laurel & Hardy, Little & large, Eric & Ernie, etc.
Women are protected now. Men are not.
2007-09-11 09:32:19 · answer #5 · answered by georgebonbon 4 · 4⤊ 0⤋
Why would you even think to blame the entertainment industry? Their profits are driven by ratings and advertising dollars. Obviously, the American public is watching and supporting these kinds of portrayals by tuning in....and we can't blame women for this. I would suggest that women are more inclined to watch the hour long shows, and men are more interested in the half hour comedies (not supported by statistics...just going on my friends and their viewing habits).
So....as long as the public wants it, and they obviously do - the entertainment industry is going to capitalize on the popular portrayals that make them so much money.
This isn't rocket science...its just business.
2007-09-11 04:55:26 · answer #6 · answered by Super Ruper 6 · 3⤊ 1⤋
Because the business end of television, and indeed the entire entertainment industry, operates upon a business principle known as mass marketing, that is, aim for the lowest common denominator, that is, the commonest g..d... idiot!
2007-09-11 10:17:47 · answer #7 · answered by Theodore H 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
This isn't new - it goes back as far as Dagwood Bumstead - comic duos like Gracie Allen & her partner (forgot his name) and I Love Lucy - the men were dim-wits. And wasn't there a witch who made her idiot husband look good to his boss by working miracles? And in the sit-coms with Mary Tyler Moore she was the smart one. And those two ghastly boys who slopped about and said "Kewl!" were not meant to be smart or loveable. It's been going on a long time.
2007-09-11 04:22:09 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 1⤋
The creation of sitcom characters is an art form analogous to the creation of sweet or salty snack treats. People who watch sitcoms disregard their mental health just as the people who consume the snack treats disregard their physical health.
The creation of commercials for Coors beer...
2007-09-11 05:22:16 · answer #9 · answered by tornwax 3 · 2⤊ 0⤋
You forgot "Married with Children" (technically the whole family was portrayed as idiots, but Al was the biggest one if you ask me), and "Archie Bunker", and let's not forget "Homer Simpson" of "The Simpsons".....lol!
I don't know why the trend...but apparently these shows get enough good ratings (a large enough audience)...men seem to like them, too. The evidence being that they are/or have been shown during prime time, and still have been successful. Maybe it's because America got bored watching the stereotypical, "stupid, bleach blonde bimbo" TV characters? That crap gets old after awhile. The new trend of males portrayed as idiots will pass, too, I'm sure. I wonder what will be next? (Comedies generally get their laughs at SOMEONE'S expense...just an observation.)
2007-09-11 03:57:49 · answer #10 · answered by It's Ms. Fusion if you're Nasty! 7 · 8⤊ 3⤋