Activists protest TV ad mocking father

[Fidelis]

**Activists protest TV ad mocking father **

NEW YORK (AP) - A TV ad showing a computer-illiterate father getting chided for trying to help his Internet-savvy daughter with her homework has roused the anger of fatherhood activists, who are calling on Verizon to take it off the air.
“Leave her alone,” says the wife/mother in the Verizon DSL ad, ordering her befuddled husband to go wash the dog as the daughter, doing research on the computer, conveys a look of exasperation with her father.

“It’s really outrageous,” said Joe Kelly, executive director of the national advocacy group Dads and Daughters.

“It’s reflective of some deeply entrenched cultural attitudes - that fathers are second-class parents, that they’re not really necessary,” Kelly said. “To operate from the assumption that dad is a dolt is harmful to fathers, harmful to children, and harmful to mothers.”

See entire article…

modbee.com/24hour/nation/story/1809846p-9688605c.html

 

[Tantum_ergo]

Anyone remember another ad a few months ago (not sure if it was Verizon), where the son and daughter were arguing with their dad, and he brought up (incorrectly) a defense according to one of the constitutional amendments, while his teen daughter rolled her eyes and snarkily corrected him, and he slunk away?

Of course, right after it came one of those ones where the boy was on the phone moaning that he couldn’t come out to play because his mom had grounded him–and it was “just WEED”! while the mother smiled from the door–hey, “Parents–the anti-drug”.

Uh huh. We’re too stupid to understand technology, yet somehow, WE can control our children’s lives and save them from the dreaded drugs because we’re PARENTS. Yep, kids really respect being grounded and care what we think.

 

[mlchance]

Perhaps less time should be spent paying attention to what TV says?

– Mark L. Chance.

 

[Penny_Plain]

“Fatherhood activists”?

Don’t these people have anything better to do?

 

[Tantum_ergo]

ML–good point in that TV is overutilized. . .but remember, the Holy Father himself said that it was important to use the media wisely, as good media (i.e., Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ) could be an important tool. . .just as BAD media is an important tool for the devil, IMO.

PP–Labels are just that. If they called themselves–Men Who Support Fatherhood as a Legitimate Ministry–but had the same members and same ideas–would the change of the label make them more or less appealing to you?

 

[wisdom_3_5]

Its been pretty standard in commercials and in sitcoms to portray the dad as “not really getting it”, “goofy” or just plain stupid. They are portrayed as not being the “head” of the family, but the butt of all jokes. Its no wonder men leave their families when they are constantly bombarded via the media with how useless and inferior they are. I think fatherhood activists are a good idea. We need to strike a balance between the sexes. In the 1950’s women were the idiot airheads and now the tv roles have been reversed. Neither is good for society.

I have seen one ad, lately, that the man came away looking good though. It was for a truck & he had a dresser or something in it. He sees a motorcycle for sale, moves the dresser into the cab, puts the motorcycle into the truck. When he gets home his wife comes running out, sees the motorcycle and sarcastically says, “oh, yeah, that will look GREAT in our bedroom! Your’re such an A…” The she sees the dresser in the cab, smiles at him and jokingly hits him in the stomach. It was cute. I thought this ad was a pretty realistic portrayal of how we women can jump to conclusions about how men are clueless and our reactions to it. It was nice to see a guy doing something nice for his wife too.

 

[Penny_Plain]

Tantum ergo:

PP–Labels are just that. If they called themselves–Men Who Support Fatherhood as a Legitimate Ministry–but had the same members and same ideas–would the change of the label make them more or less appealing to you?

The bumper stickers would be much harder to read…

I think fatherhood is tremendously important. I do not think that complaining about depictions of stupid fathers in commercials and tv shows is a useful way of getting that fact across.

This is how I feel about the shows that make fun of mothers: If I can’t compete with a stupid tv show, I need to wake up and start doing a much better job.

 

[thann]

Well, that ad certainly reflects the situation in our home.

My husband is a wonderful and brave man and the model of fatherhood. He is also completely incompetent technologically.

He does not know how to turn on the computer. He has no clue where the volume button on the TV is, even with the remote. He cannot run the DVD player nor the VCR. When the Army provided him a PDA (hand-held computer), the ONLY thing he succeeded in doing with it was to figure out how to use it as an alarm clock – and then it was stuck on the same time every day. And he has no idea how to use our actual alarm clock. I had to write detailed instructions for him to use his cell phone.

He is truly a wonderful husband and father, he is just a complete Luddite. And I love him all the more for it.

That ad made us roar with laughter because it is a reality in our house.

'thann

 

[Faustina]

thann:

Well, that ad certainly reflects the situation in our home.

My husband is a wonderful and brave man and the model of fatherhood. He is also completely incompetent technologically.

He does not know how to turn on the computer. He has no clue where the volume button on the TV is, even with the remote. He cannot run the DVD player nor the VCR. When the Army provided him a PDA (hand-held computer), the ONLY thing he succeeded in doing with it was to figure out how to use it as an alarm clock – and then it was stuck on the same time every day. And he has no idea how to use our actual alarm clock. I had to write detailed instructions for him to use his cell phone.

He is truly a wonderful husband and father, he is just a complete Luddite. And I love him all the more for it.

That ad made us roar with laughter because it is a reality in our house.

'thann

Is your husband handy around the house? My husband is very much a nerd in the techy way. However, his painting abilities leave a lot to be desired. Perhaps the two can meet and teach each other what the other needs?

 

[Fidelis]

mlchance:

Perhaps less time should be spent paying attention to what TV says?

– Mark L. Chance.

Of course sticking ones head in the sand is always an option. The point of this persons protest is not that it is offensive personally, but that society as a whole (who DO get much of their mores and values from TV) should not be indoctrinated with this pervasive and invariable type of image of fathers as the village idiot. I have three sons and in addition to trying to raise them like men at home, I think it is *also * important to help try to influence the society that they will be living in; that the image of men should not exclusively be one of the helpless doofus, but should show at least present some positive modeling. There’s nothing that says you can’t do both, and as Christians we are called to be salt and light, not only in our homes but in society.

 

[mlchance]

Fidelis:

The point of this persons protest is not that it is offensive personally, but that society as a whole (who DO get much of their mores and values from TV)…

Which goes back to my point: Perhaps we should spent less time paying attention to what TV says? For the past 30 or so years, too many parents have abrogated their responsibilities in favor of letting the electronic babysitter take over. Rather than complain that she has done a bad job, society would be better served by firing her.

– Mark L. Chance.

 

[Fidelis]

mlchance:

Which goes back to my point: Perhaps we should spent less time paying attention to what TV says? For the past 30 or so years, too many parents have abrogated their responsibilities in favor of letting the electronic babysitter take over. Rather than complain that she has done a bad job, society would be better served by firing her.

And my point was, we can do that in our own homes, but it’s not going to happen elsewhere anytime soon. My kids (and their future spouses, schoolmates, co-workers, etc) have to grow up in this world. Even if I raise my kids to not have the attitudes conveyed by the culture, if I can do something toward making the world as a whole in which they live less accepting of such cariactures, I will. Salt and light.