The doofus, clueless, inept father stereotype has started to become a popular trend in the entertainment industry, with cartoon characters like Homer Simpson and Fred Flintstone. Many movies, television shows, and television advertisements mock fathers by expressing that they cannot do simple tasks such as change a diaper or unload a dishwasher. Currently, cartoon shows, such as The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius are portraying fathers as immature and unmindful; which is creating a society that does not respect the father figure. Gender roles for women and men have experienced notable changes since the start of the television. The television dad used to be portrayed as flawless. Fathers were depicted as intelligent, dependable and …show more content…
There is nothing amusing about taking away a good role model for young boys. The media could create men who do not want to take care of their children since it appears normal and boys who think it is normal to leave everything to the mother. Jimmy Neutrons mother had the responsibility to punish him and tell him yet again to “pick up all the pants” that were scattered around his town since his invention backfired and actually started attacking the citizens. A particular scene in the episode shows Hugh and Judy looking at the TV screen, shocked, that pants were attacking the town. Judy immediately recognizes her own son. However, Hugh, sees Jimmy on screen and says that Jimmy “looks familiar.” The fact that Hugh cannot even recognize his own son makes him practically useless and clueless. Hugh is not the only father in television that is clueless. Many shows such as Modern Family and Two and a Half Men have inept dads. However, this analysis is focusing on the portrayal of fathers in the cartoon world. Fred Flintstone of the Bedrock community is a bad influence and Homer Simpson is clueless with a short attention span. It is perverse that society is telling men to step up and be involved, while also tearing them down in the