Fried Chicken, Apple Pie, and Good Ol' Dad

Any study of the history of motion pictures and television offers an insightful look at the changes society makes as time passes.  The genres or stars who gain fame or even infamy are often the hallmarks of their time as future generations look back.  In the 1950's and 1960's, television's soaring popularity created programming that has endured as a favorite in the hearts of Americans ever since.  Andy Griffith, Theodore "Beaver" Cleaver, Herman Munster, and Gomez Addams remain iconic faces to the vast majority of Americans.  It wasn't just the lead stars, however.  These programs boasted a bevy of talented supporting cast.  Barney Fife, the Cleaver, Munster, and Addams families brought laughs, sighs, and tears that have charmed generations.

As time passes, however, we see a drastic change in television programming.  A characteristic of all programming in that era - unnoticed at the time, perhaps - is astonishingly absent in modern programming.  That characteristic is a loving, attentive, and intelligent father.

The cause of absence has been debated.  It is my suggestion that there are two basic reasons why this change has taken place.

1) The shirking of responsibility and the glorification of sensationalism.

Sure, it's the age old argument.  Frankly, most are tired of hearing the same old points reiterated.  The reason why this argument sticks though is that it contains a very large grain of truth.  This scapegoat of "immoral" and "valueless" programming also hides the second reason, however.

2) Radical Feminism

True feminism, a movement that seeks to equalize the sexes rather than have women forced into stereotyped chauvinist gender roles.  Radical feminism likes to pretend they are so focused on equality, but what they're really after is a shift in the paradigm of power: they want to see women become dominant in culture.  The dumb-ing down of fathers in television is a direct result of the desire to glorify the woman's role as intellectual superior and authoritative head of the family.  Testosterone, apparently, is the stupid drug.

One current program, Modern Family, sees an alternative "Phil"-osophy brought to the screen:  Phil is the funny, slapstick dumb father.  But he's not stupid for stupid sake.  He's not genetically or hormonally stupid.  He suffers from ADD.  Claire, his wife, sees herself as needing to fill the leadership role to compensate for Phil.  However, Claire is not some paragon of perfection pronged with puny problems for the sake of plot points.  Claire is aggressive and one track minded.  While providing a foil to Phil, Claire's headstrong attitude also gets her repeatedly into difficult situations that Phil can come along side her and help her out of.  Both parents are shown to have qualities and shortcomings that they help each other overcome.  Their marriage is a partnership where no one person dominates the other.

That is what is missing from what made America famous.  Not just the comfort foods we joke about, but also a leading example of masculine ability.