Today, I was looking for Father’s Day cards for a couple of friends who are new dads and I was just amazed at how many of them were focused on drinking, grilling and farting. In fact, one enterprising and creative “poet” was able to produce the trifecta and use all three in a single card. What talent… Now, anyone who knows me for more than 20 seconds will tell you that I am a guy who loves humor. In fact, I have certainly “dealt” a few fart jokes in my day. If you don’t believe me, you can pull my finger.
That said, the folks in the card business have gone too far and now they really treat Father’s Day like it’s a national holiday to celebrate lazy frat boys. Furthermore, I noticed that, unlike on Mother’s Day, the humor tends to make fathers the butt of the jokes. For example, for moms, the card writers tend to say stuff like “despite all the times that I was a thoughtless idiot, you somehow managed to love me nonetheless. I love you Mom!” For dads, it goes something like this: “Dad, despite the fact that you are a clueless out of touch idiot, who is more interested in guzzling beer and guarding the TV remote control than parenting, somehow, despite my better judgment and the counsel of many, I managed to still love you... Happy Father’s Day!”
Well, if you ask me, something just stinks about this…It seems to me that there is a “silent but deadly” plot afoot and I think we dads need to say enough is enough and make these card companies give us more than just a burst of hot air. Or, at least we should make them leave the room.
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Happy "Farters" Day??
4 comments:
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Where you say that it is “silent but deadly” plot afoot - it certainly does stink - and is far from silent and very deadly.
ReplyDeleteThis attitude is all pervacive in our society and where it hits hardest in in the so-called "Family-Law" courts.
If you are a mother, you are most definitely going to take full custody and lay the screws to the father for an exorbinant child support order WHILE extracting the dad from the lives of the children.
Why? Because somehow mothers are sacred beings and all wise and all benificent while fathers are treated like rubbish.
The impact is the fatherless society we are creating, and it is leading to the decline of our civilization.
How could it not when 50% of our nation is marginalized based on gender?
It runs deeper than the greeting card community Roland. If one scans the last several Disney block-buster feature animations, highly touted as family friendly, few of them, with the possible exception of Moufassa, paint fathers in a very favorable light.
ReplyDeleteWhich reminds me of the time I took my own "small" son (now finishing his training for the USANG in AZ)to the newly released Lion King. The scene where Moufassa rescues Simba from the stampede was a surprise for me and very emotional for him...It was all good in the end, but speaks to the need for Dads to check out even Disney G films if their kids are really young.
It is true - many fathers in America could do a much better job when it comes to their relationships with their children and with their children's mother. Still, we should never forget that there are millions others, who do an exceptional job when it comes to caring for their children and relating well with mothers. Sadly, in this society, we do a great job of dishonoring and disrespecting fathers, to characterize them negatively and to give the impression that their presence does not matter. We need to place more emphasis on father presence and its positive effects and help help fathers where they fall short. So, this father's day; hold the tie, the cologne, the socks and the tools. If you were not respecting and honoring dad all year or showing him how much he really matters in your life, maybe it is time for you to reflect on what Father's Day really means. And mothers - many of you need to be blamed for how children feel about their fathers. Much of the negatives come from you. Remember, the best gift a mother can give to her children, is to show them how much she loves their father and to encourage them to have a great relationship with him. It's not always easy but it is worth it! Father's are just as important as mothers! Happy Fathers Day!
ReplyDeleteMaybe it's time to put Hallmark and other card companies on notice, perhaps a boycott, if they can't find within themselves to produce meaningful, positive Father's Day cards. Fatherhood is a passsion for those who accepts it as a calling, not just an accident. I see the silliness and truly ignorant cards and something needs to be done to simply send a message to write and produce better cards. Perhaps this anger creates an opportunity for self-produced cards rather than lining the pockets of Hallmark and others.
ReplyDelete