Poll of the Day > why's the dumb dad and psycho overbearing mother trope so popular on tv?

(+) Yeah! (+)

you know the one where you got shows or movies where the dads gullible and dumb as a brick while the mothers a psychotic mess who is overbearing and wants to control everything around her
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It's a demolishion (with a capital H) of 80s family roles.
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Because your butt
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Because you only watch cartoons (srs reply)

Because that's how 90% of white-american suburban families are.
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The dumb dad thing is common and it's a feminist inversion of the old "father knows best" trope which dominated television ages ago. The overbearing mother isn't nearly as popular, but it's done partly because the role has been taken away from the father who is now meant to be a goofy, comic relief character.
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to say that's how 90% of white american families are

that's to say 90% of women are hateful screeching she-beasts that want to manipulate everything and everyone

while 90% of men are brainless oaf's who will flush their wallet down the toilet because derp
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Actually describes my parents pretty well.
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NightMareBunny posted...

to say that's how 90% of white american families are

that's to say 90% of women are hateful screeching she-beasts that want to manipulate everything and everyone

while 90% of men are brainless oaf's who will flush their wallet down the toilet because derp

Yep, spot on.
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NightMareBunny posted...

while 90% of men are brainless oaf's

am man, can confirm
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Mead posted...

NightMareBunny posted...

while 90% of men are brainless oaf's

am man, can confirm

Misandrist Mead at it again!
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who was the bigger bitch, the wife in everybody loves raymond, or the wife in king of queens?
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Carrie was one of the biggest bitches of any female lead. I'd say she rivals Elaine.
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Krazy_Kirby posted...

who was the bigger bitch, the wife in everybody loves raymond, or the wife in king of queens?

How 'bout Raymond's mother?
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Because writers are generally unoriginal and just take an existing formula to create their own thing?
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It seems to be a revisiting of the Oedipus trope in my opinion.
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Show writers come from dysfunctional families.
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NightMareBunny posted...

while 90% of men are brainless oaf's who will flush their wallet down the toilet because derp

Add "and then completely lose their shit over it" to the end and you've described my father
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SKARDAVNELNATE posted...

Show writers come from dysfunctional families.

Not necessarily, artists are just very susceptible to being dysfunctional themselves so don't know what a balanced person is.
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Krazy_Kirby posted...

who was the bigger bitch, the wife in everybody loves raymond, or the wife in king of queens?

Debra from Raymond. Definitely Debra. And she went on to play a controlling bitch in other shows as well.

SKARDAVNELNATE posted...

Show writers come from dysfunctional families.

Possibly another factor, but much of the country comes from dysfunctional families as well.
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Bc its relatable to the masses
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TheCyborgNinja posted...

Because writers are generally unoriginal and just take an existing formula to create their own thing?

Partly this but also partly because the people who buy and produce television and movie scripts are also more willing to do what has already been done and is popular over something new and original. Then there's also the tendency to change a script so that it's more "marketable" which basically just means making it less original and throwing in the same old formulaic tropes.

Thing is, most scriptwriters don't actually have much, if any, say on the show/movie once their script is purchased. This goes for book writers as well when their novels are picked up for movies or shows. Of course, most people just try and write the same old stories anyway because they want to write to the market. Fun fact, its actually fairly common for literary agents and publishing houses to get manuscript submissions for things like Star Wars fan fiction or "Its Hunger Games that takes place in Hogwarts during Harry Potter's class reunion".
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Lordgold666 posted...

Bc its relatable to the masses

More like "dumb asses" =p
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