The idea of this show made it clear that the writers were trying to make a joke about the inequality that women face in society. The ideas that could be put in young male’s minds are the reason that comments like, “get back in the kitchen,” are still around. While watching the show, I felt out of place and so did my husband. He kept saying it was because the last season was taken over by Comedy Central they were being very bias, but I don’t think that is the case. I think the writers were given the opportunity to push boundaries that they were not allowed to do with the network they were with before.
While watching the show, I felt so out of place. The ideas they were saying, were outrageous and really got on my nerves. Growing up, I have heard those sayings from my uncle and to this day, I do not find any of it funny. Women had to work so hard to get to where we are now, and the fact that these thoughts are still being said, are ridiculous.
I think that a way they could have turned this incident into an opportunity to teach about equity would have been to have an ending that showed that these comments are outdated; that women can do just as much as men can do. Men can make sandwiches and clean up after themselves and women can think on their own and can problem solve.
Hi Charlotte,
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with you. Those stereotypes about men and women are still everywhere especially in the media. These biases and attitudes are have been around so long that I don't think most people even stop to recgnize them. A personal example that always drove me nuts was that while growing up, my mom would always ask me to help her clean or cook, but would rarely even ask my brothers to pick up after themselves. Then later as adults, my sister in law lived with us for a while and my mom still expected us women to do the house work, but never expected those kinds of contributions from my brothers. I don't know if she realized what was going on, but when I'd ask her about it. She only said that there was no point to asking because they wouldn't do it anyway or she'd give an excuse about how they were tired from working all day. Well, so are the women in the house. She grew up in a generation where women stayed home and men worked, but she raised my brothers and I as a single working mother. It just goes to show that even though realities may be different, stereotypes remain.
I've noticed so many of these stereotypes on television shows as well, especially shows that our young children are watching. With shows like Hannah Montana geared toward children as young as early elementary school, there is definitely too much adult content and inappropriate stereotypes for children this age. I have noticed specifically on that show that the men play the roles of men showing stupidity such as her father and brother.
ReplyDeleteGreat post Charlotte!!!
I have never watched this show and sadly I probably will not given the example in your post. It is sad when what some perceive as funny is actually harmful in the message it is giving out. Sadly, I am sure the writers thought they were making a terrific joke, but in reality this episode was not appropriate in so many ways. One of the hardest aspects of parenting is watching out for these types of messages in the various forms of media.
ReplyDeleteGreat post!