Okay. I
realize I just went off on a rant about another television show last week. But
I just have to talk about “How I Met Your Mother” for a second. I love this
show and I hate this show. I first noticed the ubiquitous sexism in Barney’s
character—Barney is a guy whose purpose in life is basically spouting stupid
pick-up lines to get women to sleep with him. The running joke in the show is
how stupid his pick-up lines are, and how stupid the women are who fall for
them. (Spoiler: the women always fall
for them.)
I keep
watching Barney’s antics and wonder: why is this show telling me that beautiful
women are stupid? And that there are so many
stupid women in New York? Is it just me, or is HIMYM telling me that
“stupid” is pretty much the default setting for women?
