Pop culture is producing male losers

Sacrificing boys to promote girls

By Janice Shaw Crouse

Casual observation of popular culture reveals that boys and men increasingly are being portrayed negatively, in contrast to women, who invariably are seen as more competent, efficient, successful and in charge. Television and Hollywood movies are producing a tsunami of negative stereotypes depicting guys as losers. The typical male portrayed in the entertainment media is clueless, socially inept, irresponsible and immature. He invariably disappoints the women around him and makes thinking people grimace with his callous, self-centered behavior. Both Huggies and AT&T have received complaints about their advertising featuring fathers as incompetent and bumbling.

With girls and women, though, the stereotype is of a smart, witty, take-charge leader who is never at a loss for words, acts appropriately and can be counted on in a crisis. In the movie “Brave,” the three female characters in the movie — the heroine, her mother and a witch — are smart, well-spoken and resourceful. In contrast, every man in the movie is depicted as an unthinking doofus — impulsive and incapable of reason.

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