It doesn't take a sociologist to recognize that we're innundated with media images of incompetent men these days. In 2000 the National Fatherhood Initiative conducted a study of prime-time television concluding TV fathers were eight times more likely to be portrayed negatively than mothers. The study also concluded that more than one third of sitcom dads were depicted as "dumb, dangerous or disaffected."

CBS's current prime time lineup of programs featuring pathetic doltish male losers includes "Everybody Loves Raymond", "The King of Queens", "Still Standing" and "Yes, Dear". ABC delivers "Hope and Faith", "According to Jim" and "Rodney". FOX serves up "The Family Guy", "American Dad", "Malcolm in the Middle" and "The Simpsons". We're wondering where to find all the fat, lazy, doltish women who are dominated and constantly denigrated by the men and children that surround them.

We're thinking that probably nobody really means any harm. After all, you couldn't really expect television networks with more influence over social trends than... anything on the planet to be aware that the absence of a competent, involved father is the single most significant factor contributing to criminal behavior, juvenile deliquency and unwed pregnancy. You've got to pat them on the back for being wise enough to recognize that men have this coming and that we won't have justice for women until the enslaving institution of marriage is destroyed. (The list of prominent feminists advocating this objective is disturbingly long.)

Evidence of a similar pattern in advertising is found in a 2001 survey of 1,000 adults conducted by the Advertising Standards Authority in Great Britain. They found that two thirds of respondents thought that women featured in advertisements were "intelligent, assertive, and caring," while the men were "pathetic and silly." The number of respondents who thought men were depicted as "intelligent" was only 14%. (Although this study was done in the United Kingdom, comparable advertisements air in the U.S.)

In this age, more of the words that reach our ears come from television speakers than from the mouths of people. The Society for the Prevention of Misandry in the Media estimates that over the course of the last decade the American population has been exposed to 100 TRILLION degrading depictions of husbands, fathers and men on television. There isn't a company in the world that could pay for that much market exposure. Certainly society is affected when McDonald's advertises their fast food. They wouldn't pay over a billion dollars each year for this media persuasion if it didn't produce over a billion dollars worth of behavior modification. Can we reasonably assume that the vastly greater exposure to the incompetent and denigrated male doesn't affect us?

Let's ask why nearly 60% of college undergrads are women. Let's ask why there are nearly two female graduate students in American universities for every male. Let's ask why boys have fallen behind girls in most areas of primary and secondary education. Let's ask the networks how far this has to go until they're satisified that men have been sufficiently abused for the well being of women.

Here's one good way to stand up to male bashing in the media and bring about real change:

Like any other company, advertising agencies that degrade husbands, fathers and men need to bring in new accounts to stay in business. Advertising accounts are often valued in hundreds of millions or billions of dollars. It's not difficult to determine the agency that generated a given ad. Nor is it difficult to determine what accounts are in review, what agencies are competing for them, who the key decision makers are and when the decisions will be made.

When an agency produces an ad that is aggressively hostile to men, we at fathersandhusbands.org identify the agency's prospective and current clients and lobby them to choose other agencies. We communicate extensively with key management and marketing executives, competing ad agencies, and the major media outlets. (The media is listening closely.) We also empower the general public to do the same. Although we're only one small voice addressing a very big problem, the approach is generating significant press and has started to produce results.

There are a lot of men (and women) who have had enough of the ubiquitous denigration of men in the media. Many of them head major companies. Many of them, believe it or not, even manage advertising agencies.

If you're rational, creative, polite, resourceful and passionate about this cause, this blog is the place to share your ideas. Perspective from marketers and from advertising and media insiders is especially welcome. Perpspecitives on applying effective leverage to those creating anti-male programming is also welcome.

( keywords: gender, marketing, advertising, male bashing, misandry )