Everybody Loves Raymond...Not Debra

Since my last few blogs have been about how women have been constantly stereotyped, I thought I'd try to do a blog about men! It's rare- but men are indeed stereotyped in Hollywood. An interesting and different perspective can be read in Jake Brennan's (Askmen.com writer) article "Has Male Bashing Gone Too Far?". He has a theory that there is a current market for "guy" characters (the stupid, lazy, unromantic version of the actual male) in Hollywood. He mentions the character Raymond in Everybody Loves Raymond as one of the perfect "guy" examples. Brennan's article is quite convincing because he surfaces that women are hypocritical beause we love this "guy" stereotype and yet we hate it when women are stereotyped. Although, I am sympathetic for Brennan and other men (not "guys"), I feel that the character Debra in Everybody Loves Raymond is an even worse stereotype for women. This is because she's a bitch. But I'll start with Raymond first...

Raymond is the stupid, dorky, lazy husband who happens to be wedded to the beautiful know-it-all wife Debra. Raymond is constantly getting himself into trouble: when he eats his mother's cooking after he eats Debra's or when he mistakenly tapes over his wedding ceremony with a football game. He means well- he's just stupid and lost without his wife. But it's all Raymond's fault at the end of the day. The audience knows this and also knows that Raymond is not malicious. So of COURSE we love Raymond. But do we like naive Raymond or the know-it-all Debra more?

I personally like Raymond more. Even though he stereotypes the average man to be selfish, lazy, and dumb, he is more likable. Hence the title Everybody LOVES Raymond. What would the title be if it was the exact same show- but focused on Debra? It would be Everyone HATES Debra. I naturally don't like Debra because she's controlling, emotional, overly-critical, and just plain bitchy. Even though she is smarter than Raymond (a plus for women) she is hard to like because she is constantly yelling. Even though I have been in similar situations as her and sympathize, I do not feel like her bi-polar tendencies are ever justified. And as an audience, we get the impression that she is just plain crazy because she is yelling one minute and then crying in the next. And as I woman, I have never needed "a good cry" for no reason (this is the subject for an entire episode). Trust me men, we are not all like that!

I know my purpose was to write about how men are stereotyped and this just turned into another "woman post". I'll find a better example ASAP.