| MND COMMENTARY |
Fems Bent Out Of Shape On TV Portrayals October 31, 2002 by Pastor Joseph Grant Swank, Jr.
Fems, according to Variety, continue
to howl over how they are set up for television fare. Further,
they say they're outnumbered in ongoing primetime roles.
In its third yearly "Feminist
Primetime Report," the National Organization for Women screams that
six major networks bait the "adolescent boy's fantasy world" in how
they depict females.
"Young, thin and white." That's it.
That's the definition of beauty for the power clique behind
the TV fem image-makers. In addition, on primetime, only four Asian-American
portrayals exist in meaningful roles.
Further, 134 more males than females
were hired for continuous primetime slots.
The white males and "boys", according
to NOW Foundation president Kim Gandy, run the show. In that, they see
to it that network offerings give forth a "distorted, often offensive
image of women, girls and people of color... Television remains very
much a man's world, with women serving primarily as eye candy."
This past spring, a lot of NOW sponsored
females glued themselves to their sets. In fact, over 80 teams of "feminist
field analysts" took in primetime viewing throughout that season, concentrating
on discovering the standing of fems on the tube.
Reviewers gave grades to what they
saw. The criteria? Gender composition and diversity, violent portrayal,
sexual exploitation and social sensitivity.
The programs that got top grade include
"Judging Amy" and the canceled "The Ellen Show" as well as "Girlfriends,"
"ER," and recently side-lined "Providence."
Failing grades went to "The Bachelor,"
"Fear Factor," "New York Live," "Titus," and "Smackdown!"
After becoming aware of all this just
released exceptionally significant data, I asked myself one recurring
question: Where are the "feminist field analysts" eyes when viewing
the commercial media's misandrist portrayls of men?
And how does this influence family
viewing--particularly children in their sizing up dad and mom in
the house? Go figure.
So NOW weepers, consider yourself
self-pronounced losers, as you have swung to the air your crying towels. Therefore
with that, we savvy males will refrain from revealing to you the
truth about those in-favor-of-fem TV commercials. Far be it for
us to stifle your grief.
Joseph Grant Swank, Jr., is a Pastor from New Hope Church, Windham, Maine. His previous pastorates include Calgary, Alberta; Indianapolis IN; Akron OH; Fishkill NY; Manchester CT; and Walpole MA. He is a graduate of an accredited college (BA) and seminary (M Div), with graduate work at Harvard Divinity School. Pastor Swank is the author of 5 books and over 2000 articles in various Protestant and Catholic magazines, journals and newspapers. He writes a weekly religion column for PORTLAND PRESS HERALD newspaper, Portland ME. He is also a teacher at Alternative Learning School for at-risk youths. Pastor Swank has been married for 41 years and has 3 adult children. Other articles by Joseph Grant Swank can be found in the Men's News Daily archive. |
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