The Office of “Dad” in the Media…
June 8, 2007
Filed under Parenting & Family Posts
For about thirty years, fathers have been getting a bad reputation via fictional media.
From the self-centred incompetents Homer Simpson & Tim the Toolman to the evil fathers of John Lock (Lost) & Luke Skywalker (you know that black-armoured dude in the Star Wars films?)…
… to the just plain yobbos like Al Bundy, not to mention the missing fathers from about 20 years of Disney films (see Toy Story I & II, Treasure Planet, Lilo and Stitch, etc). These are the role models many of us have had to guide our own fathering by.
When you really take a look at the abundance of these Bad Dad characters (sorry Roland!), it seems Baby Boomer and Gen X screenwriters really have it in for the role of father.
And so the character of Jonathan Kent in Smallville (above) is/was a refreshing break with this ‘tradition’. Thoroughly engaged with his son (Clark), in love with his wife (Martha), putting his money where his mouth is, physically strong, acting on his values, holding his clearly-communicated values up to his son and holding Clark to keeping them, protective and wise, imperfect and wounded, charitable and willing to fight when necessary – he may be fictional but that’s the kind of character I can aspire to as a Dad.
And he marks a turn in the tide of father characters as movies like Barnyard revive the concept of the noble Dad, which gives me hope that maybe our generation can revive the practise of it…
And then there’s the story of “Team Hoyt“, one of whose videos I posted recently. Dick Hoyt embodies the qualitites of manhood and fatherhood that we all can aspire to
I’m with you on this, Pete… Jonathon Kent was a great fatherhood role model – UNTIL THEY KILLED HIM OFF!!!
What the hell was with that!?
There are few decent fatherhood role models in the media these days (although I do find Homer to be a personal favourite – the consumate anti-dad).
There’s always Mr Cleaver…?
Who is Mr Cleaver?
You’ve never heard of “Leave it to Beaver”?!??! Mr Cleaver is his dad!
Heard of it; never watched it; you must be way older than me. lol!
Dude – are you serious?! Me older than you!! I think I am just the product of growing up in the country where we only got two channels – the local on and ABC, and being at the mercy of whatever they ran in the holidays…
Seriously – find the time to watch an ep or two. They are completely and unintentionally a CACK now… ahh, the 50’s… times when Father Cleaver could have Uncle Charlie live at their place with absolutely no hint of anything homosexual…
lol
Mate, you have my sympathy, not so much for growing up in a rural area (which I think would be kind of cool) but for the lack of TV choice: enough to drive a young lad bananas!
Will try to track down the non-homosexual stylings of Mr Cleaver
Ooh, totally agree with you Pete.
Hmm, hubby giving Homer Simpson role model a good go.
But then there’s the other extreme. Watched Stuart Little 2 with kids on Saturday Night (blergh, blergh – need a life!) with Hugh Laurie as Mr Little.
My kids are now incredibly traumatised. Why can’t they have a mummy & daddy like that?
If their mummy and daddy were like that, its because they would be high on valium (can you be high on valium??? you get the gist – hehe)
Sickeningly calm and unphased by anything. Totally unrealistic. They make me sick.
So what Dad’s do our kids see – you got it, the yobbo types, as you suggested, and the ones cleary prozaced out of their heads!
And they expect us to parent in these images!
Mad Cow
Agree with you on Stuart Little, blergh is the word! The freakiest thing is that Hugh Laurie uses the same voice (= bad US accent) for House.
Yep, too nice for me.