One great thing about having boys is the built-in excuse to watch ridiculous TV shows…one of our faves is ‘Malcolm in the Middle’ – if ever there was a show for Dads and boys, this is the one. Then one of my little dudes said something enlightening…”why is the Dad so stupid in this show?” Fair enough comment, Bryan Cranston is fantastically unstable in the show, which seems to be the only way he tolerates being married to the Gestapo. The answer, surprisingly, came from my older little dude…”ALL Dads are stupid on TV shows”
He’s freaking right.
Jimmy Neutron – Dad’s a moron who enjoys nothing more than playing with toy ducks
Fairly Odd Parents – Dad’s an obliviot with a penchant for leaving his child with a registered sadist
The Simpsons – Homer, the patriarch of idiots, God love ‘im
Family Guy – Peter Griffin, my favorite moron, but that’s another blog
Not limited to kids shows or cartoons, either ~ Ray Barone has caused me more elbow nudges to the ribs than I can remember (thanks Hon). “Modern Family” introduced us to “Phil Dunphy,” another walking disaster who somehow manages his own life despite displaying the mental agility of a Labrador. “Cougar Town” gives us “Bobby,” the bum who lives in a boat on his ex-wife’s driveway and has no visible means of income. When did this phenomena take hold of modern media?
And what the hell happened to Howard Cunningham? When I was growing up, I dreamed of a Dad like “Mr. C.” He was great – he wore a suit, he ran the local hardware store, he gave sage advice to Richie, Joanie, even the freakin’ FONZ trusted ol’ Howie when he needed fatherly advice.
So, maybe this is actually a good thing. Compared to the Dads my kids have fed to them every day on the idiot box, I’m looking’ pretty damn good.
Clearly the shows were written by moms who saw dads trying to drop off or pick up their kids from line at the school.