"Bad Dads" a Bad Idea

"Bad Dads," redundant in these male-bashing times, is the name of a new reality show Fox is considering... [snip]

More to the point, "Bad Dads" reinforces a stereotype that is neither accurate nor fair. [snip] The more accurate picture of a deadbeat dad is an unemployed or underemployed bloke who sees more jail cells than golf courses. A common sequence of events for the poorest deadbeat dads goes something like this: Fall behind in child support, get arrested and put in jail, lose your job, fall further behind in child support... [snip]

"Bad Dads" is just the latest insult to men and especially fathers who feel, appropriately, that they've been maligned and minimized through television programming and advertising. In sitcoms, men are typically buffoons. And fathers, if they exist, are inept and unreliable, while Mom is a paragon of virtue and competence. Television executives and advertisers may profit from such "entertainment," but who's having fun? Apparently, women are. Four out of five network sitcom viewers are female.

[and the beat goes on...]

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