Men Are Not Idiots

This is just a drive-by blog post to pass you on to this article in Advertising Age, on the coming (and long overdue, IMHO) revolt against the negative portrayal of men in advertising. Glenn Sacks and Richard Smaglick explain rather effectively why it would be wise for advertisers to reconsider the standard ad portrayal of men as buffoons and idiots, because it's not going over very well with either the men they target, or the women who love them. I totally agree. I get so sick of seeing husbands and fathers portrayed as stupid, selfish, lazy, dishonest, incompetent, base brutes. This is just not the majority of men that I know, most of whom I greatly respect for their character, intelligence, hard work and devotion to their families. A little "truth in advertising" would be nice. I won't even start on what the men-are-pond-scum approach to advertising says to the boys who are growing up in the world today, trying to figure out who they are supposed to become as adults. I know we're a long way past the age of "Father Knows Best," but could we at least acknowledge Father Knows Something?

Hat tip: Instapundit