US sitcoms create a harmful image of the average male

Since I have the good fortune to live in one of the cities that has spent one of the most extended periods of time under lockdown due to COVID-19 restrictions, I find myself with a lot of free time on my hands. In order to fill in that time, I turn to things that I enjoy, such as video games, music, going for long walks or taking drives in my car within the permitted 5 km radius, and watching shows on Netflix.

When it comes to my preferences, I’d rather keep it lighthearted and avoid anything too heavy, unless I’m really into the plot, like with the CW’s The 100, Arrow or Riverdale. I even went back and binge-watched all the episodes of Lost a little while ago.

But I prefer to stick to comedies and more specifically sitcoms. The ones that go on for nine-or-so seasons where you can just turn off your mind, get some lol’s here and there and before you know it, the whole day’s gone by (not a very productive way to spend a day, I know, but when you’re in lockdown, believe me, at some point it becomes necessary.)

However, as I have already gone through FRIENDS and How I Met Your Mother and I am now in the fifth season of The Big Bang Theory, it’s difficult not to notice a common pattern within these shows. A wave of subliminal messaging that attempts to make me feel guilty for being born the way I am or having the interests that I do. All aforementioned sitcoms do this, but it’s especially noticeable in The Big Bang Theory.