Documentary Preview: Generation M

A film from the Media Education Foundation:

From the MEF website:

Despite the achievements of the women’s movement over the past four decades, misogyny remains a persistent force in American culture. In this important documentary, Thomas Keith, professor of philosophy at California State University-Long Beach, looks specifically at misogyny and sexism in mainstream American media, exploring how negative definitions of femininity and hateful attitudes toward women get constructed and perpetuated at the very heart of our popular culture.

The film tracks the destructive dynamics of misogyny across a broad and disturbing range of media phenomena: including the hyper-sexualization of commercial products aimed at girls, the explosion of violence in video games aimed at boys, the near-hysterical sexist rants of hip-hop artists and talk radio shock jocks, and the harsh, patronizing caricatures of femininity and feminism that reverberate throughout the mainstream of American popular culture.

Along the way, Generation M forces us to confront the dangerous real-life consequences of misogyny in all its forms – making a compelling case that when we devalue more than half the population based on gender, we harm boys and men as well as women and girls.

Anyone seen this yet?

Update: You can watch the entire film–as a preview only–here.

1 thought on “Documentary Preview: Generation M”

  1. I watched this online (at work) and even sent the link to a few coworkers, who were as equally as disturbed by it as I was.

    The video game stuff revolted me. And I was pretty grossed out by Eminem, especially since I’m one of those people who has consistently defended his talent (and acknowledged his brilliance in dealing with race and class issues).

    Any idea on when gender issues will start to be taken seriously, possibly even becoming part of the national consciousness? Ha.

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