Best American

Not every critique of behavior, when generally applied to gender (men or women), is necessarily sexist. It is my view that certain men in my country seem to behave as it if it their exclusive privilege to dictate or force their views upon their families rather than engage in an open or emotionally honest dialogue with them.

I also happen to find the sort of negative male behavior portrayed in this comic very prevalent. Are there exceptions? Of course there are. But if it happens to be true that men, living in a patriarchal society, are consciously and unconsciously trained to expect that it is their exclusive right to “lay down the law,” either as a stern or loving husbands and fathers, is it sexist to call them on it (as a group) when they exhibit that behavior? Certainly not. From a purely logical standpoint, generalizations do not always equal sexism, prejudice, or falsehood. I think we have to be honest about that.

To clarify myself, I should say that I don’t find the father character unsympathetic “just because he’s male.” Instead, I find him representative of a kind of attitude that is prevalent and widespread among males and not so much among females. There is a distinct difference between the two thoughts.

By all means, I am not meaning to upset anyone, but I think in order to change the sort of behavior that the “father” character exhibits here, we need to challenge it. To call it out. Name it for what it is. I am positive that their are other valid interpretations that can be made. This one just happens to be mine.