tv for tots ; a cultural deviation

 

            In his article, TV for Tots: Not What You Remember, journalist Jonathan Last makes the claim that children’s television programming is neutering their male characters, creating an effeminate generation.  However, a recent cultural shift may be to blame for this change in characterization.  While I believe that gender roles are important to the structure of our historically successful patriarchal society, I also believe that this can be beneficial to a moderate extent.

            “The men on kids’ shows tend to be either aged, and hence harmless, or young, and vaguely effete.” (202) This accusation was brought on by Last upon his realizing the drastic shift in television culture for children.  Last points to shows such as Yo Gabba Gabba!, LazyTown, and Sesame Street, none of which feature a man with strong elements of masculinity that is without old age or eccentricity.  

            I believe that this change can be explained by the strength in which the feminist movement impacted our modern family media.  When feminism spread across the Western culture, it carried with it one simple idea; that females should be allowed equal rights as males.  However, some individuals have received this message the wrong way, almost claiming that women should possess more power and that a matriarchal society would be preferable.  By idolizing the gentleness of the female sexuality, we almost demonize the healthy male sexuality, portraying them as harmful and predatory.  The truth is, most men are not predators and they accept no as an answer, but, our current culture praises femininity, stating that poise is power.  What if we were to accept that some men are manly men, some are not, and that either way, it is okay.

Works Cited

Last, Jonathan.  “TV For Tots: Not What You Remember.” The Blair Reader: Exploring Issues and Ideas.  Ed. Laurie G. Kirszner and Stephen R. Mandell.  8^th ed. Boston: Pearson, 2014.  202-04. Print.

with liberty and justice for all in a biased court system

  Edit: Once again, this is a mobile post. So excuse any formatting. 

  I've said this before, but I'm not a feminist. I'm an egalitarian. Feminism is not "equality for the sexes", as Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie would claim. Perhaps in a far off society, where women are being burned alive and female genital mutilation is still an issue, feminism is a well-needed cry, however, in the Western world, girls are equal to boys. Yep, I said it.  Both genders face issues and both genders have it rough in different aspects. For the purpose of this post, however, I want to focus on a specific aspect of the slight inequalities between the sexes; the American judicial system.

  It's no secret that men are treated harsher by the court system. In the UK, judges are told to treat women with more mercy than men, as they may have faced more disadvantages.
  An example of this, in January of 2014, an 18-year old female and her boyfriend ran over and killed two children.  The mother of the children forgave the driver - Cinthya Garcia-Cisneros - but her boyfriend was charged for hindering prosecution after he washed the vehicle.

  Even worse, if a man is committed, odds are that he will have a 63% longer sentence than his female counterpart.

  When it comes to the death penalty (which I generally oppose), four countries do not allow the death penalty to be applied to women.  If the crime committed is against a woman, the perpetrator is seven times more likely to receive the death penalty.   One of the biggest factors in this is that women are the presumed caretaker for any children, and family courts seem to agree.

  Don't like your husband?  Claim he's manipulative or abusive - custody win!  Frankly, a common belief seems to be that the mother is the best parent for the job.

  94% of male and 84% of female attorneys claim that judges are at least partially biased towards the mother. 

  Want to embrace gender role reversal and be a stay at home dad?  Beware. The courts don't care.  With the rise of feminism, courts are shifting, but not fast enough. 

Heck, the California courts system even admits that fathers are sometimes given a raw deal. Which isn't surprising, given that 82.2% of custodial parents are mothers.  The mother almost always gets custody. 

   Of course, males are typically discouraged from seeking custody. Out of the ones whom actively fight for custody, 70% receive some type of contact with the child.

  However, in general, males are discriminated against in the judicial system. For such a patriarchal society, men have the lesser hand here.

  That's not to say that I don't believe in justice where justice is due. If you're a male and you commit a crime, do I believe that you should be convicted?  Absolutely. If you're a crappy dad and you're denied custody, you shouldn't be a part of that child's life. I'm just tired of seeing good men victimized by women claiming victimization. Truthfully, we live in an imperfect world and a broken society. There will always be gender issues. Boys are better at math and girls are better at reading, it's a fact that everyone knows.  Yet, maybe one day, boys can help girls learn their algebra and girls can help boys master their ABCs and maybe, just maybe, our broken society will heal, even if just a little bit.