MovieChat Forums > The Bletchley Circle (2012) Discussion > Damaged Men

Damaged Men

posted 12 years ago by journalist1
15 replies | jump to latest

Have you noticed in the last two years how men are being portrayed as either emotionally weak, physically damaged or cruel; sometimes all three at the same time via the medium of television and film?

Could you for one moment imagine television shows or film portraying women in such a light? There would be outrage from the chattering classes yet tv and film writers seem oblivious of their misandry.

I had had greater hopes for the 'equality' of the sexes, instead we see examples of women trying to be men while desperately trying to denigrate actual men.
The ones I feel sorry for most of all are male writers who seem so confused poor things :-/

You and I know
What all schoolchildren learn
Those to whom evil is done
Do evil in return

[–] flowers_on_the_razorwire 12 years ago

My heart bleeds for the poor poor men. Oh wait, no. It doesn't.

[–] journalist1 12 years ago

flowers_on_the_razorwire wrote:

My heart bleeds for the poor poor men. Oh wait, no. It doesn't.

I rest my case.

You and I know
What all schoolchildren learn
Those to whom evil is done
Do evil in return

[–] flowers_on_the_razorwire 12 years ago

You really must be enjoying that pity party you're having for yourself.

[–] defiant-10 12 years ago

Most men really are idiots. I know I am. Those unable to attain this great height go into politics.

What I had in mind was boxing the compass.

[–] Karinetk 12 years ago

If you look at crime statistics, the men always tops it. Homocides, burgleries, rapes etc. Perhaps this is one of the reason why they are portraited weak in a movies and series. There have been some very disturbing female characters during the last 100 years as well.

Sorry for my poor English. It's not my main language.

When the power of love overcomes the love of power the world will know peace.
- Jimi Hendrix

[–] 15clicks 11 years ago

It is a fact that 100 years ago, the crime statistics were more or less levelled, i.e. an equal amount of men and women were doing time. The prison popultaion was give and take fifty-fifty male/ female.
Fast forward 100 years and you see a different picture. But not neccessarily because women committ less crimes but because justice is sexist, i.e. it privileges women.

I read a statistic somewhere that a male gets sentenced to 18 years in general for having killed his wife. But a females gets only 6 years on average for having killed her husband.

[–] Karinetk 11 years ago

The reason why women get less punishment, might be that they killed their husbands in self defense? Statistics only shows numbers, not why the numbers are what they are. This might be an explanation. You have to look behind the numbers to find the truth and reasons.

When the power of love overcomes the love of power the world will know peace.
- Jimi Hendrix

[–] 15clicks 11 years ago

Maybe that is so, but I highly doubt it. Why should they kill their husband when they can get a divorce and make him pay for the rest of his life?

Also, I find your reasoning a bit weak. You were the one who called for statistics and when presented with statistics that don't match your opinion, you abandon them.

I still say, women are privileged and justice is sexist. Last year over here in Germany, there has been a case of a single mother who neglected her 2 yo baby and the little girl starved. She was sentenced to 5 years, not prison but... therapy. The judge wished her good luck at the end of the trial.

In Belgium, there was a similar case last year and the woman was not even arrested, can you believe it? The prosecutor said, she has been punished enough already by the death of her child, what a logic.

[–] Karinetk 11 years ago

I was thinking "killing in self defence while being beaten the hell out of". Divorce is, of course, the best solution, when that is possible.

I didn't abandon any statistics, I just think that statistics often doesn't say anything about what lies beneath.

I'm sorry if the sentences are unfair regarding male/female, and if men get more punishment than women. It really shouldn't be that way. I have no idea why that woman starved her two poor children, was she on drugs, mentally ill? It's a horrible incident anyway. Both men and female get less punishment if they are considered "insane in the moment of the incident". The punishment should be the same for both sexes.

I totally agree with you in the last case. If she's mentally ill, she should be in obligatory treatment, if not sent to jail. No person should let such things pass easily.

I wish you all the best.

When the power of love overcomes the love of power the world will know peace.
- Jimi Hendrix

[–] bpollen 9 years ago

That's ridiculous. That majority of violent criminals and murderers are men. Women commit far less crime to begin with, and then when they do, it's much less likely to be violent.

There's science behind that. It's testosterone. It makes people more prone to violent, edgy, muscular, etc. There's also the way one is raised. Culture doesn't nurture violence in women.

Men are not portrayed as weak in recent movies, that I've noticed. Women have always been portrayed as weak or victims. That habit continues to this day.

Saying that women are trying to be men is a sexist statement. No one in this series is trying to be a man. Boggles the mind where you got that.

[–] rjfme 12 years ago

I tend to agree. It has been a constant thorn in my side for years that: in order to show women in a more favourable light, it isn't necessary to denigrate men by showing them always in a poor light. I understand why it is done in advertising ... patronize your target group by buying into their prejudices. It's not necessary in drama. The target audience consists of both groups.

"Science is the belief in the ignorance of the experts" ~ Richard Feynman ~

[–] winkwi 10 years ago

Dear God are you still here?

[–] GaelinW 11 years ago

Could you for one moment imagine television shows or film portraying women in such a light?

It happened for decades. Yet there was no "outrage from the chattering classes" because it was merely a reflection of real life.

For decades, centuries even, women were portrayed as weak, physically, mentally and emotionally - helpless - in need of rescue and/or protection by men. Smart, capable, independent women were portrayed as evil, cruel and/or sex pots/femme fatale. Sometimes as a result of being damaged. Regardless, they were "abnormal" often "bad" in the sense of being outside of social acceptability.

But turn that depiction on it's head and it's suddenly something to be outraged about. Go figure.

All men aren't pansies nor chest pounding gorillas. And all women are cowering wallflowers nor manipulative bitches. The reality of humanity lies somewhere in between. Yet drama often plays to the extremes because its more entertaining that way.

I had had greater hopes for the 'equality' of the sexes, instead we see examples of women trying to be men while desperately trying to denigrate actual men.

That this is all you seem to see speaks most about the flaw in you.

"I am allowed to think everyone is stupid for 10 minutes."-- Randy Susan Meyers

[–] CrabbyJack 10 years ago

Two years? I think you've been asleep.

[–] lilactime2014 9 years ago

I hope you've grown up a bit in the last 4 years, stopped feeling hard done to or sorry for yourself.

The "Happy Valley" board is full of this type of saddo who can't bear the lead being a woman let alone a woman with a spine. I am a bloke and no feminist at all but by crikey I feel embarrassed at how many bleating fools there are who ignore every weak female character written and can only see with myopia a male character. One fool went on for ages because one of the male coppers tripped over, all of the above nonsense and more, just because the lead was a woman and all of toys had to come out of the pram.

'tler