Father Knows Best: This Ain't the 50's Anymore

The American father continues to be the target of attacks, making him appear and to be perceived as completely inept and out-of-touch. It can be argued (successfully, I believe) that males, in general, have been under attack for some time. Certainly, we do live in a male-bashing society, but the entertainment industry's portrayals of fathers continues to erode the standing that fathers have in their children's lives, thereby eroding the foundation upon which families should be established.

Take Fox Entertainment as a good case in point. 7-10 PM on Sunday night is Fox's father-bashing prime-time starting with "Malcom in the Middle" in which Malcom's says of his dad, "My father is always thinking about something. We just have no idea what it is. At least it keeps him busy." Following that family show is "King of the Hill." This is, arguably, the show that offers the most positive portrayal of fatherhood (as far as it goes) as Bobby claims his Dad is his hero. Nevertheless, I don't think this show will win any awards for it's positive example of home life.

Next up is "The Simpsons" (Do I really need to comment on Homer Simpson?) followed by a full hour of "The Family Guy" which is anything but. Finally, rounding off the evening is "American Dad."

These shows illustrate clearly the fact that fatherhood is continuously being devalued in the eye of the American public, which I believe is being played out in society in a number of ways including the idea that fathers are expendable in a family. Whether it be voluntary single motherhood (take a look at the number of Hollywood starlets that have either adopted solo or have enlisted men to "stud" their children), or dual "mommies," fathers have gotten such a bad rap in society that it is often difficult for even good fathers of teen-agers to get the respect they deserve and have the influence their kids so badly need.

It's time fathers stand up and take back the ground that has been stolen from us, not by demanding "men's rights," but by lovingly being the examples our kids need; by taking responsibility in our communities to demonstrate what it means to be a responsible, loving father and husband, and to make sure we don't silently and sub-consciously buy into the male-bashing mentality. Sure, the jokes about dead-beat dads can be funny, but in the end, our families will learn that the joke was on all of us.

Labels: David C. Price