There’s also the “bad dad” stereotype in pop culture portrayals. Ranges from actually abusive to just belligerent jerk. It always bothers me that pop culture seems to suggest that men have to choose between that and being the checked-out, clueless, butt-of-jokes type (like Homer Simpson).
Fair point. I wonder if you might see these figures as variations on the alpha type? I think of Walter White, of Breaking Bad, or Marty Byrde, of Ozark. Red Forman and Al Bundy are both trying to hold onto an alpha role, even if they are pathetic. Don Draper, Tony Soprano, John Dutton...
I don’t because I don’t buy that being abusive is being manly or alpha. It’s like conceding the point to the guys who think that they way to prove they’re men is to be jerks. I think we need to separate those things in order specifically condemn abusive behavior for what it is. There are abusive guys who don’t fit the “alpha” type too.
I think we agree. There are positive and negative variations on the two categories I used, but it's also probable that I'm oversimplifying. Did you have any specific characters in mind?
I guess in terms of examples of abusive men who aren’t necessarily alpha types I’d say:
-Antagonist in 12 Angry Men, he’s not very “alpha” (if that’s the terminology we’re using) and comes across more as brash and abrasive and a failure
-Not a dad but Jenny’s boyfriend in Forrest Gump. He hits her. But he’s also passive aggressive and quick to shift responsibility away from himself and blame external factors when he hurts her.
-I thought of a couple other examples but they’re real people. So I’ll exercise discretion and not go there.
You take us from Aquinas to Fuller to the rural rule of not peeing on a fence. Fantastic. I think you have a unique space to speak from, Josh. From all the homegrown work you've done to your writing career, you'll continue having a complex conversation on this topic. Great start!
I expect that Henry McCord would be as horrified as I am, and that his first thought would be for his daughters, as mine was when I read the news this morning.
There’s also the “bad dad” stereotype in pop culture portrayals. Ranges from actually abusive to just belligerent jerk. It always bothers me that pop culture seems to suggest that men have to choose between that and being the checked-out, clueless, butt-of-jokes type (like Homer Simpson).
Fair point. I wonder if you might see these figures as variations on the alpha type? I think of Walter White, of Breaking Bad, or Marty Byrde, of Ozark. Red Forman and Al Bundy are both trying to hold onto an alpha role, even if they are pathetic. Don Draper, Tony Soprano, John Dutton...
I don’t because I don’t buy that being abusive is being manly or alpha. It’s like conceding the point to the guys who think that they way to prove they’re men is to be jerks. I think we need to separate those things in order specifically condemn abusive behavior for what it is. There are abusive guys who don’t fit the “alpha” type too.
I think we agree. There are positive and negative variations on the two categories I used, but it's also probable that I'm oversimplifying. Did you have any specific characters in mind?
I guess in terms of examples of abusive men who aren’t necessarily alpha types I’d say:
-Antagonist in 12 Angry Men, he’s not very “alpha” (if that’s the terminology we’re using) and comes across more as brash and abrasive and a failure
-Not a dad but Jenny’s boyfriend in Forrest Gump. He hits her. But he’s also passive aggressive and quick to shift responsibility away from himself and blame external factors when he hurts her.
-I thought of a couple other examples but they’re real people. So I’ll exercise discretion and not go there.
You take us from Aquinas to Fuller to the rural rule of not peeing on a fence. Fantastic. I think you have a unique space to speak from, Josh. From all the homegrown work you've done to your writing career, you'll continue having a complex conversation on this topic. Great start!
Thanks for reading, Max! Aquinas would be worth digging into a little further.
Whelp. I wonder what Dr. McCord would say today.
I expect that Henry McCord would be as horrified as I am, and that his first thought would be for his daughters, as mine was when I read the news this morning.