Why I Threw the Berenstain Bears in the Garbage

So I'm reading the Berenstain Bears to my little boy the other day and couldn't make it through the whole book without trowing it in the garbage. Yes, that's right. I threw the Berenstain Bears in the garbage.

The storyline went something like this: Baby bears were watching too much television and eating too much junk food. Mama Bear notices this is becoming a habit for her children. She also notices they are getting a little overweight. So, like a good mother, she turns off the TV and throws away all junk food in the house. She then instructs the children to go outside to play.

So far so good.

Well, Papa Bear comes home and heads straight for the refrigerator. He asks, "Where's my soda?" Mama Bear replies, "It's gone. I threw it away." Then Papa Bear goes over to the cupboard looking for some cookies. He doesn't find any. Mama Bear says, "Yep, threw those away too." Disappointed, PB goes to the television and is quickly told it is not allowed anymore." Even more disappointed, PB bends down to get something off of the floor, and RIP!, his pants tear because, just like the kids, Papa has gained one-too-many pounds.

The moral of the story was decent enough - Resist the temptation to watch television and eat junk food all day. Playing outside is a good alternative.

But there was another message that went something like this - Papa Bear is a goofball and is just another child that Mama Bear has to manage and instruct, because she ultimately has to rule the roost.

This book is just another indication that our culture has no clue about true manhood or masculinity. Examples of manhood range from the Bundy's (when I was growing up) - Al being the lazy, uncaring, father with one hand down his pants and a remote in the other. Then there is Raymond, the clueless and careless man-child who serves more as an object of laughter than a leader. People may love him, but they'd never follow him.

Then there are the athletes - oh, the hailed athletes, who are honored and glorified more for the strength of their bodies than of their character. UFC is on a come-up as well, a man is someone who can beat the crap out of another.

The pendulum swings to the other end of the spectrum as well. When men don't wear pads or boxing gloves, they wear pink sweaters and become another voice on The View concerning decorating or hair styling. Please excuse the expression and receive the point.

From being overly masculine (which is not really masculine at all) to more feminine, manhood is completely distorted in our day. Rarely do we find in the media a faithful husband, who loves, protects, and provides for his family, friends, and enemies. Rarely do we see a man relating in a godly way to women - rather, we get men who act like women or totally take advantage of them.

You have to wonder why athletic masculinity is always accompanied with women in bathing suits (from cheerleaders, to the girls who walk around with a sign that says, "Round 2."). It's an indication that men aren't portrayed at all, but cave-men.

Men are either dominating women, or being dominated by them.

And the worldview is promoted at an early age. Even with the Berenstain Bears.