Random Poll of the Day! (601)

[IHKF]

I like to think of it in the way that the "dumb" and "overly competent" characters are just easier to manage. They can have easier character development, are easy to relate to on both ends (we've all felt smart/dumb at times) and they provide EXCELLENT comedic relief that's easy and simple to do.

In other words: portraying equality is "hard" and "boring" for most shows, and media is supposed to be interesting xD That's why neither the "women > men" or "men > women" stories and such bother me as long as they're entertaining (again, if they're boring as heck, then it may be a problem *cough*twilight*cough*)

I guess an "example" on my end is in How I Met Your Mother, Barney is a character that obsesses over sex, has womanizing as his only goal, somehow is high up in a company, and seems generally incompetent. However, though he has done stupid things (bought televisions just to break them in frustration) it's mostly for comedic relief, and underneath everything he's actually a sweetheart and scarily competent (one episode revolves around him manipulating the entire cast in order to sleep with one woman, just to prove he could.)

Yes, portraying equality is hard, but a lot of the time it's the boy characters who are stupid.

These days, even the BLONDE chicks are smarter. (Jk. lol)

Barney is, actually, quite the genius. XD Dramatic, but a genius. lol

But then what about the women on TV shows who can control men because they have breasts? They so easily seduce men and are a lot of the time the ones who are smacking boys upside the head for something they've done that was stupid.

The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya actually has a bit of that going on in there. O_o

[mangaluva]

One of the reasons I like Doctor Who, personally. River Song aside, sexuality is not a power that most women on the show exert to win out, and even River doesn't always have to resort to it- the Doctor is de facto smarter than everyone else in the show, but not always cleverer. Rose, Martha, Donna and Amy are all utterly brilliant in different ways, and all get their chance to do what the Doctor can't because of it. Male characters don't get entirely forgotten either, case in point Rory. You think he's just going to be this ineffectual little boyfriend like Mickey but worse, this nervous little guy who will never do anything good, and then he goes into a bigger badass upgrade than Neville Longbottom.

It's just about brilliant people, whether they be guys, girls or trees. [/fangirling]

[IHKF]

One of the reasons I like Doctor Who, personally. River Song aside, sexuality is not a power that most women on the show exert to win out, and even River doesn't always have to resort to it- the Doctor is de facto smarter than everyone else in the show, but not always cleverer. Rose, Martha, Donna and Amy are all utterly brilliant in different ways, and all get their chance to do what the Doctor can't because of it. Male characters don't get entirely forgotten either, case in point Rory. You think he's just going to be this ineffectual little boyfriend like Mickey but worse, this nervous little guy who will never do anything good, and then he goes into a bigger badass upgrade than Neville Longbottom.

It's just about brilliant people, whether they be guys, girls or trees. [/fangirling]

And THAT is good writing.

[sonoci]

[me=sonoci] is blonde[/me]




For the "controlling men because they have breasts" thing, that boils down to "I Have Boobs, You Must Obey!" and the Double-Standard that "All Men are Perverts" and "They're Men, They Can't Help it", but a lustful woman would just be a "slut" -3- I'm sure there are women out there who would also be controlled if a man...uh, well *AHEM* (think Panty from P&G)

I suppose the way I see it is that among 6 billion+ people, there are bound to be women that are smart, guys that are dumb, women that are dumb, guys that are smart, guys/women that are normal, guys/women that are weird, guys/women that are *insert any trait in the world here*. Even if some are being more represented than others, they still exist. If I want to find a character with a certain trait, I'll go out and find it. It'll be out there somewhere

As for Haruhi Suzumiya, there's a gender flipped version to fix that for you  :-X

[IHKF]

Not lustful, just using their breasts because they know it's easy to get things out of dumb men if they use 'em.
The media plays it as though men CAN'T control themselves and they are forever the little hairy creatures that follow girls around because they think they can get some. (There are not very many girls like Panty in the media. xD And I'm sure that their situation with men and women is not the same as it is over here.)

Of course. And people are SUPPOSED to know that. But a lot of the time nowadays the chick is the smarter one. You don't usually see the guy as the cooler one who always knows what he's doing anymore. The media really has an impact on how people think. Tons of people are just that stupid, it's sad but true.

Fan-made, right? I've seen 'em. xD