Move over gender relations!  A new breed of misogyny has arrived on the scene and it’s arrogant, bombastic, and in-your-face.  Radio talk show ratings are skyrocketing as the disenchanted observe smart-alecky, swaggering, talk show hosts bringing back the resurgence of patriarchy.  Only this flavor of Victorian-style flair defines women with language feathered with vulgar name-calling.  There’s also a line-in-the-sand stubbornness accompanying this new patriarchy, including wholesale disrespect, and a stingy insistence that women deserve less than the sweat off most men’s jock strap. Shock jocks have created the rebirth of patriarchy today, but their attitudes may shorten enthusiastic male listeners’ life-span, in twenty years.

According to the Institute for Propaganda Analysis, “Bad names have played a tremendously powerful role in the history of the world and in our own individual development.” (Institute for Propaganda Analysis, 1938)  Now, this practice has generated a new dialogue describing women  as something less than human.  There’s a new snicker circulating as women are called “bitches, whores and sluts” rather than mothers, daughters, and sisters.  This first step of degradation sets the stage for the other abusive behaviors.

Dismissal of women as useless is followed by rants espousing permanent bachelorhood as the optimum lifestyle for men today.  “Why marry the gold-digger,” these men ask.  Male empowerment groups rush in to point out that women have taken advantage of the male pocketbook for years, through divorce settlements, through work related legislation halting sexual harassment, and even where custody of children enters into play. Acting as the pied pipers of patriarchy, shock jocks lead their male audience toward the pearly gates of permanent bachelorhood, explaining to loyal audiences that women are only good for one thing, and that doesn’t require a relationship. 

For any women listening to these broadcasts, the message is clear.  “This is how men really think,” shock jocks like Tom Leykis claim. “Stop kidding your selves into believing we want anything more than to get laid.”  From there, Leykis proceeds to tell his “students” how to spend a maximum of $40.00 on a date, and refers to women as “sperm receptacles.”  He further explains that under no circumstances should a Leykis listener spend time “spooning” or spend the night with a woman, and under no circumstances should they ever show a woman where they live.  The idea is that all women are stalkers and will hound these men once they have the address. (Leykis, 2006)

Audiences listening to this aren’t Ivy League. In a study assessing the education level of the average listener, the conclusion was clear.  The ranges were lower than other audiences. Many were underemployed or unemployed, sliding through each day observing women occupying positions in companies these displaced men once held title to. These are the blue-collar shipping and receiving clerks, or the truck drivers, even the mechanics who work in low paying jobs.  Many are economically marginalized and seeking escape from the daily humdrum of their lives.

What is the impact of these shows on the landscape of American thinking? In some households, talk shows not only entertain; they also inform. This may be their only informational source. Talk shows expose current issues. They provide a sound board for various opinions on issues. They influence a listener’s political leaning. (Brudnoy, D., Contreras, R., Cullum, B., et al, 1994)

Shock jocks host shows that no longer teach respect and honor.  More and more, they are a manual on how to access an overnight fling with a “hot babe.”  The dialogue is judgemental, the jocks rely on accusatory rhetoric casting all women as “fat and ugly” if they have matured past the age of 25.  They refer to divorced moms as collecting “vaginamony” and insist wealthy men prefer younger babes.   

When talk shows incite anger for ratings there are adverse effects. Abusive attitudes towards women may alienate these men from feeling connected to women and society. Some listeners become convinced this attitude rebalances society, because they are convinced Feminism has left us with men at a disadvantage. They may reiterate abusive attitudes towards women.  I’m convinced this alienates these men from feeling connected to women and society. 

Social scientists like Robert Coombs and Steven Nock have performed research on the health and well-being of single men versus married men.  The research rendered some interesting data which may affect society in general.  Married men tend to enjoy healthier, wealthier, emotionally balanced lives (Stanton , 2003).  These men suffer fewer alcohol problems, eat healthier, avoid risky behaviours, and live longer (Waite, 1999).  Coombs found that “70 percent of chronic problem drinkers were either divorced or separated, and only 15 percent were married.” 

In fact, the effects of marriage were so significant that married men who smoked lived an average of 14 years longer than their unmarried counterparts who didn’t smoke.  Married men diagnosed with cancer outlived their single counterparts.  Marriage was proven so beneficial that even men with heart disease outlived men with healthy hearts with healthy hearts by four years (Waite, 1999). 

These radio personalities are popular because male audiences find them enlightening and edgy.  They address marginalized feelings of men feeling left behind by court systems, Equal Employment standards, and a new trend of women outdoing men in universities.  The shows appeal men who feel Feminism has stripped them of their power.  When patriarchal shows postulate on why men should refrain from marriage, they encourage these men to remove themselves from a human need for nurturing.  This could result in further marginalized men later in life. 

These men may advance in age and wonder how they suddenly became left out of society. Watching couples age and enjoy children reach various stages of development, permanent bachelors may stand on the sidelines of society wondering what happened to their role in life (Wittekind and Wilke, 2001).  Studies demonstrate that men who are married in later years tend to have a perception of more social connectedness.  They don’t experience the same depression levels as men who have no social support structure, like that of marriage (Siegel, and, Kuykendall, 1990).

Will these listeners feel a social disconnect later?  Will their hostility and misogyny result in a new group of lonely, depressed men?  As entertaining as these shock jocks are, the evidence points to the fact that patriarchy may be doing more damage than good.  As men reach mid-life, they may find themselves left behind financially, socially, and removed from society.

Bibliography

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Brudnoy, D., Contreras, R., Cullum, B., Maddoux, M., Matthews, J., Rosen, M., Siegel, M., Smith, E., Williams, A. Gurus of gab: talk radio stars are changing America . Policy Review n69 (Summer 1994 n69): pp 60(8). InfoTrac OneFile. Thomson Gale. Apollo Group

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