Men treated badly in modern media

[HumbleTangerine]

I think the powerful male is the largest cinematic stereotype of them all, even if he's portrayed differently in different eras and under different creators. When a female protagonist is tough and powerful, the movie itself is sort of defined around that image; a strong, independent woman. People talk about the movie in that manner and categorise it as such. Netflix even has a subcategory for movies with strong female characters.

Meanwhile, nobody makes a big deal about powerful make characters. Why? Because that's more or less the standard and it doesn't provoke as strong reactions due to it being common and expected.

[Cuddly]

I agree can someone name me a leading gay character in films such as sci-fi or action?

Torchwood.

That's the only one I know though, and as far as I remember he's just "bi". Because he's an alien and they are attracted to personalities or something.. I only watched a bit of it a long time ago, so it's all hazy.

There are good gay shows though! I loved Queer as Folk (US).
We should have some straight leads in gay films too. Can't be hypocrits, now can we?

[Mark]

I suppose in a way though roles reversed you hear about loads of Male superheroes but only a handful of female ones actually get the legacy they deserve. Modern media is still too far based on old ideas however saying that I think tv shows are coming around to new ideas and approaches just very slowly!

[Pix]

What I don't like about TV/Films regarding men is say theres any sort of sexual attack it almost 9/10 seems to be a guy on a girl - and never a girl on a guy which don't get me wrong I don't want to see but it has to be understood that its not only men that can attack people! Men always seem to get the raw end of the stick with things like that.

Also lately I've noticed theres a lot of shows centred around powerful women but not that many around guys? Guys just don't seem to get sensitive roles which astounds me because not all guys are thugs!

Well sexual attacks are most likely to be by men on women. It's more likely to be men attacking men that way rather than women attacking men or women that way. I've been surrounded by sexual exploitation and mixed with runaways and it's almost always the males that do it (though females will often facilitate and enable it, including helping rapists and pimps get more victims, let alone her own husband).

And guys have powerful roles all the time so I don't see what you're saying there. I can understand the "being sensitive" bit though you'll find guys that way in some iconic shows like Star Wars and Star Trek (at least Next Generation on).

Though Buffy the Vampire Slayer is about powerful women (though funny how often Buffy gets saved by a guy from another guy). Xander was shown as weak (but sensitive!) and yet I admired him the most in the show. Out of all of them he had the most guts to stand with all those chicks with super powers to do what he could, even when he didn't want to (and had to laugh when he smacked that goddess with a wrecking ball). He even saved the world once after Buffy failed...and by being sensitive! Here, the closest thing I could find on YT (after many, many commercials and giving up on finding the actual scene):




The dialog from IMDB:

Willow: [coldly] You can't stop this.

Xander: Yeah. I get that. It's just, where else am I gonna go? You've been my best friend my whole life. World gonna end, where else would I wanna be?

Willow: Is this the master plan? You're gonna stop me by telling me you love me?

Xander: Well, I was gonna walk you off a cliff and hand you an anvil, but it seemed kinda cartoony.

Willow: Still making jokes.

Xander: Well, I'm not joking. I know you're in pain. I can't imagine the pain you're in. And I know you're about to do something apocalyptically evil and stupid. And, hey, I still wanna hang! You're Willow.

Willow: [angrily] Don't call me that!

Xander: The first day of kindergarten, you cried because you broke the yellow crayon and you were too afraid to tell anyone. You've come pretty far. Ending the world - not a terrific notion... But the thing is... yeah, I love you. I love crayon-breaky Willow and I love scary, veiny Willow. So if I'm goin' out, it's here. If you wanna kill the world, well, then start with me. I've earned that.

Willow: You think I won't?

Xander: It doesn't matter. I'll still love you.

Willow: Shut up!

[casts a spell on him, so he bleeds from his cheek]

Xander: I love you.

[Willow casts another spell on him, making him fall over from pain and bleed from other parts of his body as well]

Xander: I... love you.

Willow: [frantically] Shut up!

[casts a spell again, but hits him weakly, with her power obviously draining from her body]

Xander: I love you, Willow.

Willow: [starts to cry] Stop!

[tries to cast another spell, but fails]

Xander: I love you!

Willow: [now sulking] Stop!

[Xander comes towards her, and she starts hitting him all over his body, but falls on her knees into a moving hug with him, with her bawling]

Xander: [whispering in her ear] I love you...

[while still crying and hugging Xander, Willow's hair gradually becomes redder and her veins disappears, allowing the old Willow to appear]

[HumbleTangerine]

Gay or bisexual characters in TV shows aren't that uncommon, really. I can name like 4 from the top of my head, although those would be spoilers...

The portrayal isn't always super though...

[Pix]

Though speaking of Star Trek, I was watching the episode Miri not too long ago which started off creepy and good (almost looked like it was going to be a Star Trek/Dawn of the Dead crossover, though Yeoman, the blonde woman, cringing behind and holding onto Dr. McCoy during the fight scene showing the values of the time it was made in), and it's an Earth that's like a post-holocaust version of the 1960s. Of course those they find speaks English, and it's not a translator as there's some corruption of the language they have to figure out on their own.

After a little bit they're interviewing a traumatized girl (complete with sweet, if in serious need of washing, flowery skirt an American girl from the 1960s probably did wear) terrified of the "grups" (grown ups) perhaps just entering puberty when Kirk nods at the others to back off to (I kid you not!) examine a wall (and a slow violin starts playing) as he sits right next to her and facing her as he starts talking softly, saying, "Miri...pretty name...for a pretty young woman." Then, looking down at her he smiles.

"Pretty?"

Nods with raised brows as he softly whispers, "Very pretty."

Holy crap!

Naturally, the little girl falls in love with him.

Star Trek has changed with the times, became downright new age in Next Generation when it first started. Funny to see how the values changed...like in the movie ST: Insurrection, they aided people who lived immortal in paradise being threatened. Captain Kirk would've destroyed that paradise himself to make them all get a job like the rest of the galaxy.

[Wolfpack]

Gay or bisexual characters in TV shows aren't that uncommon, really. I can name like 4 from the top of my head, although those would be spoilers...

The portrayal isn't always super though...

Yes I agree with ,but there does seem to be a complete lack of LGBT lead characters.

[HumbleTangerine]

Okay this has nothing to do with the original topic (sorry) but since we started talking about LGBT characters in movies and TV series.

I'm watching Twin Peaks at the moment and a trans character just showed up. I was surprised at how naturally the whole thing was handled. Some of the other characters were surprised and all, but there was no ridicule and she was portrayed as a decent, normal human being like everyone else

[Mark]

See I don't think there is a lack of characters now - Glee had numerous, Corrie has characters such as Sean, and Sophie - Eastenders did the big storyline with syed now shirleys sister and sonia is back, the new normal has gay characters, sex and the city had gay characters. As for lead gay characters soaps don't seem to have any leads as such - Glee does with Kurt and santana and brittney which to me speaks volumes as it seems shows for the younger generation are portraying a lot more gay characters because its now seen as normal. Going back a bit even Friends had a gay character ross's ex wife!

As for strong male leads what I referred to mainly was TV - it used to be shows like A touch of frost or jonathons creek etc now it seems to be scott and bailey - miranda etc a lot more female orientated shows. Women are coming out on top!

[CellarDweller]

I've often noticed that men are portrayed as idiots, while women seem to be angry, screaming shrews.

Tim 'toolman' Taylor (Home Improvement) and to a lesser degree Ty Burrell's character on Modern Family.

Patricia Heaton from Everybody Loves Raymond and the woman who plays Ty's wife on Modern Family are good examples of "mean housewives".

I can't figure out why either of these characterizations are funny?