{The subject I am about to embark on is true on many levels with the other gender but I want to focus on this particular point}
For a long time now I've noticed a prevalent theme in so many of the ads on TV, a theme that has outraged me and I find that I can no longer sit back and fume about it but must speak out!
It is the depiction of men, in their roles as a man, a husband and a father, as being complete idiots.
Let me set up the commercial I witnessed last night for TIDE laundry cleaner as merely ONE of countless that has demeaned or devalued man.
On the laundry line hanging to dry is a very short, immodestly so, white skirt. The dad wants to stop his daughter from wearing it so he gets his hands filthy in grease or dirt (I didn't catch that) then wipes his dirty hands on the apparel in hopes it would be ruined and hides it down deep in the laundry basket where his teenage daughter finds it and in distress goes to her mother. The mom then uses Tides stain fight power to clean the garment. We then see the daughter ready to leave the house for the night in her inappropriate and immodest outfit including said skirt. Both the mother and daughter look at the poor bemused father sitting in his lazy boy with looks of triumph mixed with disdain.
I tried to find a link to this commercial to allow viewing but couldn't find it.
IN this particular ad, we see a lack of leadership; a sneaking about to exert his wishes for a more modest outfit to be chosen. We see his being treated as a fool by wife and daughter who have outsmarted him again! and further that the mom is "cooler" because she aids in the desired planned outfit.
However, this is the theme repeated over and over in car commercials, cell phone commercials computer commercials, food commercials... and many many more!
Why if I had to base my opinion of man by ads alone I would think they were hopeless, helpless, ignorant, mindless,spineless and totally dependant on a woman for any common sense. (well -that last part may be partly true)
In a society where most of the children are growing up with no Fathers in the home and the experts are agreeing across the board that it is the major contributing factor to, oh my heavens- a whole list and litany of ills, ( I do not have the room to enumerate all of them) how can society expect boys- teens- young men- men, to feel confident in that important role they play when their roles are mocked, devalued and in short, made cartoonish by the advertising media.
How can we expect girls- teens- young ladies- women, to respect men in their roles as providers, leaders and protectors when they see this erroneous depiction played out over and over. A subliminal message repeated time and time again that men have no idea what they are doing and are in fact, according to the implications of these ads, complete buffoons.
This offends me greatly as a woman who honors her husband for the very values these ads are eliminating. A man who leads, a man of faith, of character, who is intelligent, wise, loving and a man I respect with all my heart.
This offends me greatly as a woman who honors her father for the very values these ads mock. A father who leads his family, a man of faith, of character, whose example has been a light to me. A man who is loving
and a man I respect with all my heart.
This offends me greatly as a woman who honors her God for the very attributes these ads insult. A God who leads His people, who rewards our faith, who shapes our character. A God whose intelligence created all things and rules all things. A God who is loving, sacrificial, stern yet "..His arms are outstretched still." A God whose pronoun is HE, HIS, HIM, masculine. A God I love with all my heart.
Let us never forget that God created MEN (and women) in HIS image. In men, as well as women, HE has placed a part of His divinity, and, for all men that accept it, has entrusted His power and authority through His priesthood.
If God has put that much time, love, hope, value, trust and expectations in His Spiritual sons
how can we dare to do differently!
The Family: A Proclamation to the World
Please check out my related Song highlight and quote. The song as a interesting background story. It is available on I- tunes and is very worth listening to! "Lead Me" by Sanctus Real
3 comments:
I echo your sentiments if only I may! I agree entirely! I have felt for some time now that men get viewed as the lesser parent figure. In some cases it may be justified by what horrific things some "fathers" have done to their children. However, to set that as a standard is HORRIFYING! we should celebrate as a society the strengths a good wise father can contribute to his family. If there is anything this world needs most it is values to live by and role models to show the way. So many people in this world sit back and allow TV show and commercial after comercial to inflict their minds numbing their senses. I think Satan sits back an laughs at us when we do this. We would never in a million years invite an unwed or even wedded couple for that matter to make out madly in our living rooms, to derobe, or curse vile words, to shoot another person violently or scoff our husband's wisdom...yet this is exactly what we invite when we sit down and watch it through a box....I have felt that way since I was a teenager. Kev and I didn't even have TV for 7 of the near 13 years we have been married for this very reason. We kept getting told what we were missing out on. Olympics, news shows, food network and reality competitions...etc. Now that we have TV back in our home I regret having it at times. My oldest that I love so much watches shows where the teenager gets away with being sassy and rude, wears high fashion clothing, has every electronic spoiling toy out there, and premature dating relationships. Now I BATTLE with the sassing, entitlement, and attitude that was displayed for her in a more real life way. I read a talk years ago when Kassie was a baby that has really stuck. I will post it on my next comment for you. It changed who I would become. It gave me insights into the woman I needed to grow to be.
Women of God can never be like women of the world. The world has enough women who are tough; we need women who are tender. There are enough women who are coarse; we need women who are kind. There are enough women who are rude; we need women who are refined. We have enough women of fame and fortune; we need more women of faith. We have enough greed; we need more goodness. We have enough vanity; we need more virtue. We have enough popularity; we need more purity.
(The Joy of Womanhood) Jan 2001 Sister Nadauld
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