Feminists have long complained about negative portrayals of women in the media and popular culture. Yet feminists are not in the least concerned about the negative portrayal of men and boys. In fact they actively encourage it.
Concerted contempt for men now seems to have become pervasive in popular culture, from advertising to political talk-shows. This has very largely been as a result of negative depiction of men by the media.
The things the media present and the manner in which they are presented - notably on television and in Hollywood films - obviously have a powerful effect in the public mind. When viewers are constantly being bombarded with images of men being put down, subjected to snide 'asides', slapped around, generally treated as idiots or otherwise abused, viewers eventually come to perceive of this kind of behaviour as being normal and permissible. How do you feel?
http://wiki.gosurf.tk/index.php?title=Media_Portrayal_of_Men_and_Women
2007-10-17 13:31:02 · 9 answers · asked by celtish 3 in Social Science ➔ Gender Studies
I am extremely offended by ads and TV shows that portray men as infantile and incompetent. Television makes me sick in general, and that's why I don't watch it anymore.
2007-10-17 15:27:59 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 5⤊ 0⤋
Psychological studies have shown that children actually are influenced by what they see on television, and in some cases are likely to act out what they have "learned." I think that some television programs are definitely harmful to kids. And further, though adults may not be quite as impressionable as children, it doesn't do the human mind much "good" to fill it with trash: messages of violence, prejudice, and the like. It's really too bad that television is not used for more "good" than "evil". It could be a great tool for education, for productive things, and intellectually stimulating material. Unfortunately, most of what we see on TV is not any of those things. That's why I prefer to keep the TV turned off, and on the occasions my children and I do watch, I monitor what they are seeing. There are some good channels out there, like the Discovery Channel, and the History Channel. As parents, we need to be mindful of what our kids are seeing, because yes, they are very impressionable people.
G-Zilla: that's too funny....lol!
2007-10-17 21:41:01 · answer #2 · answered by It's Ms. Fusion if you're Nasty! 7 · 3⤊ 0⤋
I suppose it's true that few women fight to stop Hollywood from giving such negative male portrayals.
But then again, how many men do you know who are fighting to stop negative female portrayals? Though feminists may be encouraging the negative male portrayals...men are doing that too, for the women. Men are always glorifying insanely unrealistic female bodies, as well as showing appreciation for or encouraging other negative female portrayals,
We're all hurting each other, I'm afraid.
2007-10-17 23:32:09 · answer #3 · answered by G 6 · 4⤊ 1⤋
One example is the Lysol ad in which the boy is presented as the carrier of germs, and little nasty squiggly germy-looking things are, through special effects, smeared all over his hands and all over everything he touches. When the boy goes to the table and grabs a pen, the clean little girl then graps a "contaminated" pen and is just about to touch her mouth with it.... You can almost hear the theme from "Jaws" playing in the background.
2007-10-17 21:22:45 · answer #4 · answered by G-zilla 4 · 5⤊ 0⤋
Gnu Sense is only half-right. Feminism IS a movement for equality, but we focus on the disadvantages faced by women more.
I am concerned about the portrayal of men and women in the media. For every lovable male idiot, there's a castrating female shrew.
2007-10-17 21:11:58 · answer #5 · answered by Rio Madeira 7 · 3⤊ 3⤋
Why should feminists be concerned?
Feminism JUSTIFIES its demands on the BASIS of equality, but it is not a movement FOR equality: it is a movement for WOMEN.
And that's not a bad thing.
2007-10-17 20:40:14 · answer #6 · answered by Gnu Diddy! 5 · 2⤊ 2⤋
Obviously I have been viewing different movies to you.
What you are describing is not apparent to me.
Quite the reverse; however I have to admit to not watching much television so perhaps I have not experienced the above.
It is really good to see you asking interesting questions.
2007-10-18 01:51:27 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 4⤋
I agree. The media have got it all wrong.
"Don't shoot the messenger? Sometimes the messenger *deserves* to be shot"
2007-10-18 09:03:32 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 1⤋
From what I saw, women as weak stupid sluts and men as abusive stupid men.
2007-10-17 22:05:53 · answer #9 · answered by ? 4 · 2⤊ 1⤋